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New Job and Salary Structure for CaseWare Nederland

After a growth spurt, software company CaseWare Netherlands decided to start working agile with the entire organization. That called for a new job and salary house. It took some getting used to for the employees of CaseWare, which develops and implements accounting software. Last year they all started working agile, after the software developers took the lead with the scrum methodology.

New Reward Structure at Bruynzeel Kitchens

As a customer, negotiating discounts on your new kitchen is no longer an option at Bruynzeel Keukens . Parent company DKG has radically changed its strategy and since last year has been working with fixed prices. This involves a different way of selling as well as a different remuneration structure. An interview with Caesar Kuipers. Negotiating the price of your kitchen is still a daily occurrence at many kitchen stores. In the 35 Bruynzeel Keukens stores, too, it was possible for many years to get a substantial discount. With a corresponding reward system for the salesperson. Research among customers showed that they did not like this bargaining at all. They didn't want to get the idea that the neighbor might be cheaper.

New Performance Management System at TNO

The traditional performance review system was time-consuming for TNO’s managers but didn’t always yield valuable results. It was time for a radically new performance management approach, thought HR Innovation Manager Dagmar Beudeker and Senior Labor Law Specialist Eveline Glaser . The result: Empower .

Compensation Study for HISWA-RECRON

In preparation for collective labor agreement (CLA) negotiations in the holiday recreation sector, Martin Merks of HISWA-RECRON wanted insight into the compensation policies of a group of members. Highberg conducted the study. "They’re offering more than we had expected."

New organizational structure and remuneration policy for Roompot and Landal GreenParks

After the merger of Roompot and Landal GreenParks, both organizations merged in a short time, with a new remuneration policy in the Netherlands. ‘We want to be the best employer in the sector’, says CHRO Alrik Boonstra.

Cals College Digital, Secure and Transparent

Due to the increasing digitization of education and the introduction of the AVG, security and careful handling of personal data and supporting resources have become increasingly important. This is also observed by Cals College, a secondary school community with two branches: one in Nieuwegein and one in IJsselstein. Cals has recently taken a professionalization step in the field of information management, privacy and information security. In this process, Highberg advised, provided and implemented methods to get a better grip on the management of ICT, privacy and information security. In addition, Highberg fulfills the role of data protection officer (FG) and privacy quartermaster.

Dashboarding and business development for sustainable growth

Ndugu Coffee is a social enterprise with a mission to make agribusiness sustainable for all stakeholders involved.

Pon – Initiating digital transformation

Pon is a global player in the field of mobility products, services and solutions, also offering hundreds of industrial solutions. Within the Pon Equipment & Pon Power (PEPP) division, discussions about the opportunities and possibilities of digitization had been ongoing for some time. However, the implementation of these digital opportunities faced challenges, and the desired results were not forthcoming. This led to the need for support in initiating a group-wide digital transformation to better leverage the opportunities offered by further digitization.

Ymere – Cost-effective through data-driven working

Ymere is driven by its mission to provide more people with modest incomes a good home in the Amsterdam metropolitan region and aims to become an efficient and results-oriented organization.

Establishment of chain collaboration and control of the levy process at AFM

The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) is optimizing and digitizing its levy process. An advisory report has been developed by Highberg, and the next step is implementation. This involves setting up cross-departmental (chain) collaboration with effective governance and meeting structures, communicating the change, and involving the organization.

Menzis – Customer service strategy development

Menzis has the mission to strengthen the vitality of every individual by ensuring high-quality and affordable healthcare. Customer and Operations (C&O) is responsible for all operational insurance processes and customer interactions, and is the largest cluster within Menzis with 600 employees. As the existing strategy was no longer current, the director of C&O, who took office in 2020, aimed to establish a new vision that transcends the cluster.

Guiding year plan process for the board of directors and executive board

After a long period of stability, Enexis is under pressure to increase productivity and reduce costs to accelerate the energy transition.

Leadership development UNICEF

UNICEF provides assistance to children worldwide and advocates for their rights. As the world's largest child rights organization, UNICEF reaches more children in more places than anyone else, with the ambition to be as agile as possible to help more children, faster.

From work pressure to work happiness

The Homeless Desk of the Municipality of The Hague provides assistance to the homeless, and due to the high urgency of their work, the team experiences high levels of work pressure. The goal was to establish a new service concept at a new location (driven by hospitality) with the aim of increasing the quality of service and improving the job satisfaction and working conditions of the employees. It is crucial that these improvements are sustainable and lead to lasting change.

Digital business strategy: from follower to leader

Van 't Hek Group is a contractor in the field of foundation engineering. Van 't Hek has a predilection for a number of specialties, such as working on the water, along the railroad and in the inner city and, of course, realizing complete cofferdams. In addition, the company is a leader in vibration-free and low-noise techniques. Here, Van 't Hek often realizes the difficult, complex projects. Their innovative capacity makes them the leader in the Netherlands in diversity of vibration-free and low-noise foundation techniques. With an annual turnover of €123 million, it is now one of the fastest growing companies in the construction sector (source: Cobouw ).

Agile transformation ProRail – increasing agility and customer centricity

ProRail is responsible for the railway network in the Netherlands. Together with transport companies, they work 24/7 to ensure that passengers and goods arrive safely and on time at their destinations. The HR department of ProRail aimed to achieve an Agile transformation.

Agile coach at the Renewal of the Basic Land Registry (BRK)

The Dutch Land Registry registers information about buildings, land, pipes, ships and houses that are sold. Because of the Dutch Basic Land Registry (BRK), you know for sure to whom what belongs. The Land Registry has recently renewed its BasisRegistratie (BRK) system. The previous system was not future-proof and needed to be revamped to ensure continuity of its services. The renewed system offers better opportunities to implement customer requirements, product and process improvements and legislative changes. The modified BRK deed processing process increases the quality and timeliness of registration.

Equal Pay analysis at AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel is a multinational Dutch company that specializes in paints and coatings. It is one of the largest and most prominent global coatings and paints companies. With over 35,000 employees worldwide, they wished to conduct a global equal pay analysis. After careful consideration, they chose Highberg as their partner. Today, Magdalena Guaia, Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisor, shares her experiences with conducting equal pay research and working with Highberg.

Agile Portfolio Management in the (Dutch) Public Domain

In 2025, the Dutch government faces an ever-increasing challenge: maintaining stability and course between technological innovations, social expectations and the implementation of laws and regulations. Citizens and society demand reliable services and consistent policy, while speed and agility have become indispensable to respond effectively to technological innovations and social expectations. However, many government organizations are still bound to traditional structures that hinder agility and innovation. This contradiction makes it difficult to act decisively and with a focus on the future.

Whitepaper: Gamification for behavioural change

Gamification is a scalable change approach to achieve sustained desired behavior and improve performance in the workplace.

Five challenges around organizational transformation

Five challenges around organizational transformation according to leaders within large Dutch organizations and our reflections on them.

Whitepaper: Research compliance and innovation

An innovative compliance program makes for an effective compliance program. Innovative compliance therefore creates more ethical behavior.

Whitepaper: Moral leadership – the crucial theme of this time

The exemplary behavior of leaders is crucial to reduce the reputational risk of integrity issues within your organization.

The six ingredients of an effective game

To ensure that a game is truly effective and contributes to organizational objectives, fulfilling the conditions is crucial.

We are Highberg

Highberg originated from nine boutique consulting firms, each with best-in-class expertise in organizational, digital and sustainability transformations. Our joint ambition is to build the leading transformation consulting firm in Europe, with one mission: "Being the best partner for our clients in organizational, digital and sustainability transformation through our combined expertise. We strive for change that has lasting impact on organizations and their people".

The Highberg© AI Readiness Scan

AI offers outstanding opportunities to make accurate predictions, enhance service delivery efficiency and develop smarter solutions for challenges. But how do you ensure that your organization consistently derives value from AI? Complete our AI Readiness Scan and discover the next steps for your organization.

Workshop AI for HR

Do you recognize yourself in the following situation? You're not sure if AI is just a hype, but you also feel like you should do something with it because if it’s not a hype, you don't want to miss the AI boat. You've read a bit about AI, but it all remains very abstract. You need an explanation in simple, straightforward language. You want to practice applying AI tools to HR topics such as employer branding, recruitment, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and employment conditions in a playful and safe way. In that case, the practical workshop "AI for HR" is something for you and your team.

Job Framework for Rose Grower Afriflora/Sher

Setting up a job framework for 13,000 employees in Ethiopia was a challenging task for HR project manager Monique Hoenderdos of rose grower Afriflora . "After two steps forward, you often have to take one step back to keep everyone on board."

BexerHamstra Among the Top Consulting Firms in the Netherlands

Recently, Consultancy.nl published their ranking of the best consulting firms in the Netherlands.

Equal pay for men and women at VvAA

Equal pay for men and women is an important issue for VvAA, the cross-professional collective of healthcare professionals and healthcare companies. At the request of HR manager Paul Jacobs, Highberg released a sharp analysis. 'If you lump everything together you really do see a difference.'

How do you like decoupling assessment and reward?

Forerunners are already doing it: decoupling rewards from appraisals. But that still poses some challenges in practice. HR managers discussed this during a roundtable discussion organized by Highberg.

Webinars salary increases 2025

Wondering how your salary increase budgets compare to those of other companies? In our periodic survey, we asked organizations what the budgets for the non-union population look like for 2025. In the Nov. 5 and Nov. 13 webinars, we discussed the results. We placed the increases in the context of recent years, inflation, collective bargaining increases, key figures from CBS and the minimum wage, among others. Below we share the report.

BexerHamstra joins Highberg!

Highberg is very happy to welcome 40 new Highbergers, experts in compensation, pensions and organizational design, as BexerHamstra joins our growing boutique consultancy.

Are you also reserving 15 per cent for the management of cloud services?

When outsourcing internal IT to an external service provider, it is already well known that you need to account for 15 per cent (management) costs for the oversight. But does this rule also apply to the management of cloud services, or are there different principles at play?

Architecture: an ounce more or less?

Applying enterprise architecture as a steering tool can speed up project initiation, reduce project risks, make project complexity manageable and increase the project's chances of success. With this knowledge, one could argue that organizations should always use enterprise architecture as a steering tool for projects. But then again, what do you do when an organization does not have an unlimited supply of architects? And maybe a project cannot get by with an ounce less architecture either? Highberg has developed a model that helps determine the amount of architecture required for a project.

The practice of working in ecosystems

Shifting from thinking in silos to thinking in ecosystems is essential. Five principles make collaboration in ecosystems successful, and examples of these principles in practice show that managing ecosystems starts with yourself.

Working under architecture also means knowing the past

You don't remodel a house without a good plan. Whoever chooses an extension makes sure that its appearance matches the design of the house. And before the actual rebuilding begins, the contractor checks where water and electricity run and whether any load-bearing walls will be demolished.

Architecture and agile scaling methods, get inspired by knowledge that is already out there

When scaling agile development in practice, some organizations are still searching for the exact role of the architect and architecture. An example of this is agile development based on scrum. Until recently, there was no explicit role for enterprise or IT architects within scrum. In fact, a scrum team has three roles: product owner, scrum master and a number of developers/testers. When scaling up, this leads to the risk of suboptimal implementations and an inefficient development process.

Data subject rights: are you an open book?

One of the important control mechanisms for GDPR compliance is the fact that data subjects can practice certain rights. These rights not only ensure that data subjects remain in control of their personal data, but they also act as an important check for your organization. Can you respond adequately to a data subject's request? Do you have a quick overview of the personal data the data subject requests? Do you know which systems contain these personal data? In short, it is time to be an open book!

Why doesn’t the IT team deliver?

Many people think that as an IT consultant, I am primarily focused on technology. Nothing could be further from the truth. In my daily practice, I often come across IT and information management challenges that are not solely about technology. In cases like these, I differentiate between cause and effect. For example, the IT department does not deliver the right products or services. This is an effect. Perhaps the cause is that the right products or services were not properly described or requested. Only by asking the right question you get the right answer and subsequently a fitting solution. The role of the business in IT and information management challenges is crucial.

Lift: Elevating people-centric culture for transformative success

As an organization, how do you integrate the personal and professional development of your people into the purpose of your existence? At Highberg, we do this. We call it Lift.

Don’t disqualify the adhoc organization too quickly

Who doesn't recognize these objectives? IT service delivery must be predictable, continuous and of high quality. The business should be able to rely on IT service delivery to achieve their goals. Even though all reports are nicely in the green, the business still seems not to be getting what they need: speed and innovation.

Help! Europe is coming

At the European level, significant legislation has been published in the field of ICT and digitalization in recent years. The impact of this can be substantial on all member states, including the Netherlands. However, this impact is not always immediately visible or anticipated in advance. In the coming years, these kinds of European developments are set to accelerate. Legislation is coming on various fronts, including data, artificial intelligence, digital identity and cybersecurity. But are we in the Netherlands prepared for this?

Lean working

Lean working is the elimination of unnecessary actions and the continuous improvement of performance.

Fact-based steering: How does it work?

When making decisions, experience and gut feeling are increasingly being replaced by facts and figures. The pinnacle of this is fact-based steering, which is a way to manage data-driven work. What does this mean in practice, and what are the opportunities and pitfalls?

Can everything be put on the table?

As interim managers, we are often hired for change initiatives. There are consultants who guide the change, but operationally, someone needs to steer the ship (or change its course, depending on how you look at it).

Get a grip on the GDPR with architecture

By now, the GDPR has been in effect for some time. Everyone has been busy with it over the past few months. The Dutch Personal Data Authority (AP) is monitoring compliance, and indeed, it is doing so more and more strictly and occasionally they set an example. You yourself, of course, must also monitor compliance with the GDPR. But how do you do this? How do you get a grip on this? Perhaps you have followed the AP's 10-step plan for this. However, this does not yet mean that you comply with the GDPR. How do you know where you are at risk of non-compliance, damage claims and image and reputation damage?

Using data-driven approaches

Using data-driven approaches to act faster and improve decision-making.

European tendering: 5 common pitfalls to avoid

Many organizations struggle with European Tendering. It's a complex process that consumes time and energy, often leaving you with the knowledge of what you could have done better in hindsight. In my experience, these lessons learned are often not carried over to the next project. In my upcoming three blogs, I will provide a brief overview of the most common lessons learned to equip organizations better for entering into a European Tender.

The Certainty of Certificates

"We have adequately addressed information security because our data center has an ISO27001 certificate." I'd love to sit down with the party making this statement and dissect its components: The statement is intended as a response to a question seeking assurance, such as "Are you sufficiently in control of information security?" The implication is that information security only occurs within the data center and in the way the data center performs its operations In addition, it suggests that a certificate provides sufficient assurance, rendering further questions unnecessary

Customization is also key for cloud governance

Unfortunately, there's no 'one size fits all' solution once again. Not even when it comes to setting up cloud governance. Cloud governance cannot simply be 'added' as an afterthought; rather, a tailored solution is required within your governance organization. But why not a standard solution? After all, cloud technology is quite mature, isn't it? Virtually no organization can (or wants to) do without it anymore. And doesn't the vendor usually provide that technology as a standard service? Plus, most organizations have already established a governance structure, right? Despite all these signals, integrating the cloud significantly affects governance. Customization is still necessary.

European tendering can be learned: find your way during the tendering process

All the preparations have been made, everyone knows what is expected of them: the contracting authority is ready. But unfortunately, the reality is that not every process goes exactly as planned. A tender can fail for a variety of reasons. The top five lessons learned for European tendering during the preparation of a tender are important to consider.

Full Circle Tendering: What is it?

Every government organization has to deal with it: European tendering. For many, it's an obstacle in their daily work because performing the service requires a completely different set of knowledge and skills than putting that same service out to market, right? Don't tenders consume an enormous amount of time and energy? And doesn't it require different people within the organization than those needed for contract execution? Or does it?

Do it yourself or outsource? SaaS simplifies!

The question of "do it yourself" or outsourcing has gained an appealing alternative: Software as a Service, or simply SaaS. SaaS not only means having your software well managed but also being instantly relieved of technical management, backups and compatibility concerns as a customer. No hassle between administrators regarding responsibilities or determining whether an issue lies in the database, software or configuration. Pay per use, scalable and, as a bonus, continuous updates without cumbersome release and testing processes! Tomorrow? Preferably yesterday!

Sustainable business

Doing business with attention to people, the environment and economic results.

Agile transformation is a journey

Leen Dewicke, team lead at BeNe Rail International, talks about the path her organization is taking towards a fully agile way of working.

Interview Hans Oeij – Program Manager at Highberg

Hans Oeij is a program manager at Highberg. As a program manager, he helps clients guide changes toward the intended results. How does he experience working at Highberg and how does he matter to clients? We talked to him about it.

What is the Highberg Digital Onboarding Experience?

At Highberg Digital, we know that a strong start is crucial. Onboarding is more than just a tour or system access—it’s the foundation for long-term success. In today’s competitive talent market, a well-structured onboarding process is essential for engagement, productivity, and retention. That’s why we’ve developed an innovative approach: a gamified onboarding experience combined with meaningful physical rituals, which characterizes our ways of working. Our onboarding process blends digital and in-person elements to create an engaging and effective journey. Through social moments and physical rituals, we support the new employees to make direct connections with others and that make the onboarding experience both memorable and meaningful. This is complemented by an interactive onboarding game to let new employees learn by doing, collaborating, and being rewarded for their progress.

From Trainee to Senior Consultant at Highberg: Jerom Fiedler

Jerom Fiedler, senior consultant at Highberg, began his career in consulting more than six years ago as a trainee. In this interview, he discusses how the traineeship fostered his growth, as well as how the unique culture at Highberg and opportunities for professional development helped him develop in his role.

Summer tradition at Highberg: New summer director takes the helm

Twenty-six-year-old Solaiman Boubkari is stepping in as the summer director for Highberg Digital. With the theme #PowerofDifference, Solaiman aims to emphasize the importance of recognizing and embracing differences among employees to enhance collaboration.

BexerHamstra, part of Highberg, and Bureau Baarda merge

BexerHamstra, part of Highberg, is strengthening its position in organizational transformation and remuneration policy by merging with Bureau Baarda. Bureau Baarda is a consultancy specializing in issues of job evaluation and remuneration.

Highberg Shines with Platinum, Diamond, Gold and Silver Awards in the Consultancy Awards 2024

We are thrilled to announce that Highberg has solidified its reputation as a growing consultancy powerhouse in Europe, earning high rankings across a wide range of fields of expertise and sectors in The Consultancy Awards. The depth and breadth of these accolades reflect our growing multi-capability approach in solving our clients' problems, positioning Highberg as a trusted advisor for businesses and institutions navigating digital disruption and global challenges.

FD Gazellen Award 2024!

We are proud to announce that we have once again been named an FD Gazelle this year—a prestigious recognition for the fastest-growing companies in the Netherlands. After winning an FD Gazellen Award last year as BexerHamstra, it is a great honor to receive this distinction again, now as part of Highberg. This year, we even secured a top 10 position in our category!