Diversity & sustainability

We see diversity and inclusion (D&I) as an absolute added value for our organization. We are therefore very pleased that we were able to sign the Diversity Charter yesterday, during the Week of the Entrepreneur. We did this during a meeting of SER Diversity in Bedrijf and T-Mobile in The Hague. With this Charter we pledge to deploy strategic means to promote D&I in the workplace.

The initiative to sign the Charter came from the D&I Taskforce. This group was set up by colleagues who consider D&I very important and are working hard for it. As an organization, we support this initiative and are proud of the fact that we were one of the 24 employers who participated in the signing ceremony. Within six months of signing, we will submit a Plan of Action, describing our D&I policy and linking targets to it. In addition, we will report annually on our progress.

Marion van Happen, CEO HeadFirst Group, on Diversity & Inclusion

"We are a learning organization in the area of Diversity and Inclusion. It's about learning and evolving together so we can build a future where workplaces are more diverse and equal. Numbers are not our goal, but effectiveness. As an HR technology service provider, we see a role for our organization in creating a fair labor market."

Over 300 companies participated in the SER Diversity in Bedrijf initiative - Diversity Day - on Tuesday, October 4, to draw attention to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. It is important that organizations continue to work on this even after this day.

Alliance and advocacy
Among other things, gender equality is not yet commonplace for many companies. For more women to reach the top, male role models are needed to influence the behavior of other men. Men hold the majority of leadership positions, so the power lies with them to change things. We need their support to help and make a real difference in closing the gender gap and achieving equality in the workplace.

Together with BrandedU, we gathered inspiring stories and experiences from men who have taken the steps and influenced change within their own organizations. From these, we formulated five strategies:

• Strategy #1 - Use Privilege: use it to open doors for women.
• Strategy #2 - Create a safe space to be authentic: hold yourself accountable to create inclusive spaces.
• Strategy #3 - Start breaking the rules: use your position as gatekeeper to change the rules, or better, break them.
• Strategy #4 - Practice curiosity: ask questions, even the uncomfortable ones.
• Strategy #5 - Respect: be the one to show your emotions.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of actions that can be taken by male leaders to advocate for women's visibility and gender equality. Most of all, we hope it spurs inspiration.

HeadFirst Group is a learning organization in the field of diversity and inclusion. It's about learning and evolving together so we can build a future where workplaces are more diverse and equal. Numbers are not our goal, but effectiveness. As an HR technology service provider, we see a role for our organization in creating a fair labor market.

Documents:
WhitepaperBrandedUHeadFirstGroup.pdf

Gender equality is not yet commonplace for many companies. Just a women's quota for European corporate executives is not enough. In fact, this will change little for the Netherlands, as a women's quota has already been in place here since Jan. 1, 2022. For more women to reach the top, male role models are needed to influence the behavior of other men.

Men hold the majority of leadership positions, so the power lies with them to change things. We need their support to help and really make a difference in closing the gender gap and achieving equality in the workplace.

Gender equality in business

When men participate in gender equality programs, progress is made three times faster than when they do not, Boston Consulting Group United Kingdom research shows. This is the focus of the Men as Advocates for Women's Visibility summit on June 27. It is an initiative to engage men in the conversation about gender equality in business.

As an HR service provider, we see a role for our organization in creating a fair labor market. I am not just talking about gender, but also about work ability, cultural diversity, age and lhbti+. It's about learning and evolving together so we can build a future where workplaces are more diverse and equal.About the summit
The Men as Advocates for Women's Visibility summit organized by personal branding institute BrandedU and HR services provider HeadFirst Group will take place at HeadFirst Group's headquarters in Hoofddorp on Monday, June 27. Our goal is for diversity to become part of companies' DNA. An afternoon full of connections, stories and panel discussions to get inspired with the people who take this topic seriously contributes to this.

Nancy Poleon, founder BrandedU, presents the summit along with Maarten van Rossum (VP of public affairs at Lightyear). They will engage with men active in promoting gender equality in the workplace. Some examples are Baba Touré (Founder & Managing Director at Hammerfest), Clayde Menso (Director at International Theater Amsterdam), Dirk van Zon (HR Business Partner at Rituals), John Olivieira-Siere (Publisher at OneWorld), Melchior de Ridder (CEO at Nationale Nederlanden Next), Michael Kimmijser (Small Medium & Corporate Business Lead at Microsoft), Philippe Stulens (Chief Marketing Officer at Randstad), Rafe Rosato (Chief Innovation Officer at DLL) ánd Han Kolff (Chairman of the Board at HeadFirst Group).

When men participate in gender equality programs, progress is made three times faster than when they do not, Boston Consulting Group United Kingdom research shows. That's why personal branding institute BrandedU and HR services provider HeadFirst Group are organizing the 'Men as Advocates for Women's Visibility' summit on June 27. An initiative to engage men in the conversation about gender equality in business.

Just a women's quota for the European corporate top is not enough. In fact, this will change little for the Netherlands, because a women's quota has already been in place here since January 1, 2022. For more women to reach the top, we need male role models to influence the behavior of other men.

Nancy Poleon, BrandedU founder, explains, "Men hold the majority of leadership positions, so the power lies with them to change things. We need their support to help us and really make a difference in closing the gender gap and achieving equality in the workplace."

Inclusive teams

The summit will take place at HeadFirst Group's headquarters in Hoofddorp, the HR service provider where two women were recently appointed to top positions, including CEO Marion van Happen. About the choice to be hosting partner of the summit, she says: "As a leading HR service provider, we see a prominent role for our organization to create a fair labor market. I am not only talking about gender, but also about work ability, cultural diversity, age and LGBT+. It's about learning and evolving together so we can build a future where workplaces are more diverse and equal."

Top business community comes together
Poleon her male co-presenter is Maarten van Rossum (VP of public affairs at Lightyear). They will engage with men active in promoting gender equality in the workplace. Some examples are Baba Touré (Founder & Managing Director at Hammerfest), Clayde Menso (Director at International Theater Amsterdam), Dirk van Zon (HR Business Partner at Rituals), John Olivieira-Siere (Publisher at OneWorld), Melchior de Ridder (CEO at Nationale Nederlanden Next), Michael Kimmijser (Small Medium & Corporate Business Lead at Microsoft), Philippe Stulens (Chief Marketing Officer at Randstad), Rafe Rosato (Chief Innovation Officer at DLL) ánd Han Kolff (Chairman of the Board at HeadFirst Group).

Kolff on his participation: "Gender equality is not yet commonplace for many companies. Our goal is to get diversity into the DNA of companies. An afternoon of connections, stories and panel discussions to get inspired with the people who take this issue seriously contributes to this."