Sterksen celebrates 20 years
Sterksen celebrates 20 years
We did not let Sterksen's 20th anniversary go by unnoticed. In 2022, an activity was organized each month to work toward December 2, the day Sterksen was allowed to blow out 20 candles.
The past years were full of adventures, successes, new talents and challenges. Without a team full of motivated and specialized colleagues, we could never achieve this milestone. Therefore, we felt it was important to work towards Sterksen's "birthday" throughout the year. Think of nice surprises at the office, such as massage chairs, scoop ice cream, chocolate milk with whipped cream during working hours. But certainly also the necessary parties. Like a barbecue with live music for all colleagues, their partners and children. We also organized a cocktail party on a hot summer day, where Lead RPO Consultant Naveen delighted us with delicious drinks as an accomplished cocktail shaker. And in October, of course, only one kind of party could take place: an Oktoberfest including German Schlager music.
So under the guise of "birthday treats," founder Donald Derksen dealt out big time. Since Sterksen would not be the same without him, he also deserved to be put in the limelight. That is why a group of colleagues behind the scenes was busy working on a very special gift. A unique painting by and for Donald, which of course got a prominent place in our Breda office.
Just a few days later, we celebrated - to top it off - our anniversary with a smashing party in Roaring 20's theme. A great time to celebrate together, reflect on the past years and certainly also look ahead. Because we are ready for the next 20 years!
HeadFirst Group is 'Great Place To Work-Certified'
HeadFirst Group is 'Great Place To Work-Certified'
Enjoying going to work, having confidence in the organization and being proud to be part of this fast-growing HR technology service provider and platform organization. We continuously work on these three pillars so that every colleague who works with us recognizes and experiences these feelings. We are extremely proud to have received this affirmation with the Great Place to Work certification as of January 2023.
Great Place to Work helps organizations create a workplace culture that maximizes credibility, respect, honesty, pride and camaraderie. They do this through the Trust Index™, the employee survey. Only organizations that, among other things, have a score of at least 70% on this Trust Index may bear the title 'Great Place To Work-Certified'. HeadFirst Group will be one of the lucky ones for at least the next year!
Joke de Graaf, Head of HR & Organization at HeadFirst Group: "Being a good employer is of course not just about organizing fun parties and providing lots of facilities, although of course it helps. According to Great Place to Work, trust is the key to being a good employer. They offer a methodology that provides guidance for building it. A culture of trust fueled by meaningful values and facilitated by effective leadership. This is why we participated. HeadFirst Group wants to be a good employer and create an environment where everyone wants and can use their potential. This is not only good for our employees, but also for the organization. After all, it increases the innovative power within the organization which in turn leads to growth."
Are you curious about concrete examples? Then read the stories of several colleagues here. They will gladly take you through their experience with HeadFirst Group. Would you like to work for a great place to work? Check all our current vacancies here!
Look back on the past year with us
Look back on the past year with us
2022, a special year for HeadFirst Group. We welcomed a new CEO, flew through our new headquarters, gained dozens of colleagues and invited our families. Of course we celebrated beautiful moments together, with the Roaring 20's dinner as the resounding end of the year. We look back on the past year with pride and look ahead to a fantastic 2023.
HeadFirst Group continues to grow
At the beginning of the year, we moved into a brand new headquarters in Hoofddorp. After months of preparations, the building was ready for colleagues to work - physically and hybrid - and of course this was celebrated with a grand opening. And because we could shout our pride from the rooftops, we shared unique flyingpictures.
Another important moment was the arrival of Marion van Happen as HeadFirst Group's new CEO. Her goal: to create the perfect balance between tech and touch, making work for our colleagues even more fun. Besides Marion, many more new colleagues started this year. Not only in Hoofddorp, but also at our seven other locations in the Netherlands and Belgium. They were able to start immediately with all the necessary knowledge and skills through the completely renewed onboarding process. And these are not the only expansions, HeadFirst Group added no less than two organizations to its portfolio: ProUnity and StarApple Group.
Team building & celebrating successes
Cooperation is important at HeadFirst Group. On the shop floor and beyond. For example, we achieved our first sports victory with our own team HeadFirst Group during a friendly soccer match against AJAX | Only Friends. Sweating was also frequently done in our own gym. Fortunately, this year we were also allowed to come together physically in other ways, which led to many team outings.
Organization-wide, we also find it important to celebrate our successes. In 2022, for example, we reached the second spot of the Flexmarkt Turnover Ranking Top-100 for the third time in a row and were named FlexTopGroeier in the "MSPs and intermediaries" segment. But we had even more to celebrate! We introduced the Lean methodology to streamline and simplify our processes to create the ideal balance between tech & touch. We also welcomed our new virtual colleague Sam who already supports multiple teams so that our colleagues can use personal contact at times when it matters. On top of this, HeadFirst Group was added to the list 'Soonicorn Club of the Netherlands Tech 2022' naming only the most promising Dutch tech startups. Later in the year, we reached the magic number of 20,000 professionals working through one of our labels.
Connecting people
Our headquarters provides the perfect setting to organize various events. This year all colleagues were allowed to invite their family members during the 'Family Day', where activities were organized for young and old. We repeated the aforementioned opening party at the end of the summer during the Indian Summer theme party. Of course the biggest event in the history of HeadFirst Group could not be missed. For the first time all our external relations came together during the official HeadFirst Group HQ Housewarming 'Connect in the chaos', to which every colleague contributed his or her part. We closed the year together during the dinner full of Roaring 20's theme in which we looked back on the past year and looked ahead.
We like to look back together at what we have accomplished. We have summarized this in this video. How proud we are of what we have achieved as a team this past year and are excited to make 2023 even more fantastic. Next year we would like to welcome new talent again, so that the organization can continue to grow. Would you like to be part of that, for example as a Contract Manager, Field Manager or DevOps Engineer? Then take a look at our current vacancies and apply immediately!
Hear who knocks there? St. Nicholas party HeadFirst Group
Hear who knocks there? St. Nicholas party HeadFirst Group
For many children the most wonderful time of the year, St. Nicholas. The excitement, presents, meetings with the Santa Claus and to top it all off, celebrating Christmas Eve. Also at the HeadFirst Group headquarters Sinterklaas came by. What a successful morning it was!
Because of the children, this time of year is automatically also an exciting period for many (grand)parents, so also at HeadFirst Group. Watching the Sinterklaas news every day, sneaking around, and enjoying children dancing and singing to all the Sinterklaas songs. At HeadFirst Group we also like to make this a special moment. That's why we organized a Sinterklaas morning at our headquarters.
Party at HeadFirst Group
The theater at our headquarters was completely transformed into the Sinterklaas atmosphere. This year a real theater show was organized about the mystery of the lost laces. All children - and (grand)parents - were on the edge of their seats during this show. People danced along, sang, but there was also excitement about whether the mystery would be solved. Of course Sinterklaas and the Pieten also paid a visit, although this was still exciting for some children. After a festive morning, all children went home - tired but satisfied - with a chocolate advent calendar in their pockets. It was a fantastic party!
Now that St. Nicholas is out of the country again, it's time for the rest of the festive month. Beautiful Christmas, New Year's Eve, and into the New Year together! Do you want to be part of this too? You can! We are always looking for new talent. Take a quick look at the current vacancies.
Attention to your mental well-being
Attention to your mental well-being
How employees feel, are in their skin and whether they have enough energy. We think mental health is important. That is why we have joined forces with OpenUp - an organization whose mission is to make mental well-being accessible to everyone - so that we can make tools available to colleagues. With these tools, they can work on their own development. Both emotionally and mentally, in private situations and at work.
Personal development
Mental health is a big part of your personal development. Within HeadFirst Group, we think this is very important and is also included in our core values of 'Learn everyday', 'Connecting people', and 'Customer first'. As an organization, we strive to make everyone feel good. With various initiatives such as the Power Up club, D&I task force, and now joining forces with OpenUp, we are taking a big step in this direction. But more importantly, from now on all employees within HeadFirst Group have access to all kinds of resources to work on their mental health, such as 1 on 1 consultations with psychologists, mindfulness consultations, online handbooks, and more. These tools help everyone become more resilient, something that is not unnecessary in today's times.
Keep on developing yourself
In addition to having access to the online platform OpenUp to work on mental health, all colleagues have access to the HeadFirst Group Academy. So colleagues now have the opportunity to work on multiple aspects of their personal development. Together we continue to work to create a safe environment where everyone can talk openly about mental wellbeing.
Do you want to keep developing yourself? And do you like to work on your mental health? Within HeadFirst Group we are always looking for new talent. View the current vacancies here.
HeadFirst Group and StarApple Group join forces
HeadFirst Group and StarApple Group join forces
On November 10, 2022, the collaboration between HeadFirst Group and StarApple Group became a reality. By joining forces, we take another step in expanding our portfolio of solutions for labor market issues in the professionals segment. Our current high tech solutions are enriched with the services with a great human touch of StarApple Group.
Proactive approach in talent pooling
StarApple Group, consisting of the StarApple and StackOps brands, is an ambitious and young organization founded in 2008 and has since grown into a successful IT talent sourcer. They have already successfully connected more than 10,000 specialists to diverse organizations. We believe that combining our high tech solutions with StarApple's great human touch services is the key to customer success.
Will you grow with us?
With the addition of StarApple Group, the organization is growing in both services and colleagues. We add a new location to the list of our headquarters in Hoofddorp and five other locations in the Netherlands and Belgium. This means that we now offer even more opportunities at different locations. You can seize both learning and growth opportunities within our enthusiastic organization. Do you excel in that human touch? Or would you like to dedicate yourself to our high-tech solutions? Take a look at our vacancies!
Flying through our headquarters
Flying through our headquarters
At the beginning of this year, we moved into a colorful, ultramodern and energy-neutral headquarters in Hoofddorp. By now, all colleagues have found their way to the flexi-workstations, make fanatical use of the gym and enjoy the bar to the full. In addition, various internal and external events have already been organized in our exclusive in-house theater, including a real Family Day and the largest HeadFirst Group HQ Housewarming for all our external relations.
Working hard to create a 'home'
In the past six months we have worked hard to completely redesign the office to the wishes of all our colleagues. For example, the bar has been remodeled, there is a homely atmosphere - due to the redecoration - and the core values of our organization are excellent to find through beautiful wall visuals.
We are proud of our "home" and don't want to deprive you of it any longer. Have you always wanted an exclusive glimpse of our new headquarters? You can with a cool flight through our headquarters. Check it out here!
Do you also like the idea of working here? And would you like to drop by? We are always ready with a cup of coffee or tea and for a pleasant conversation. Take a look at all vacancies!
We enrich differences!
We enrich differences
Tuesday, October 4, 2022: Diversity Day. The day HeadFirst Group joined 250+ other organizations in calling extra attention to diversity and inclusion. To encourage colleagues to appreciate differences and embrace everyone's unique talents, we invited a special guest speaker to our theater. Of course we also committed to this before and after this day, for example through our participation the Charter Diversity of the Social and Economic Council (SER).
Promoting equal opportunities
In recent years, among other things, we have ensured that both the 'male/female ratio' and the 'older/younger than 35 ratio' are equal and we pay men and women with the same job equally. Our 'Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce' supports the organization in conducting our services in an inclusive manner. Furthermore, they have conducted research and set goals on diversity and inclusiveness. The result: being allowed to be part of the Diversity Charter of the Social and Economic Council (SER). This demonstrates our social responsibility as an organization to create an inclusive, equal and safe environment for our own employees, but also for the professionals we employ. Be who you want to be, get space to develop yourself and learn a little more from each other every day!
Diversity Day
SER Diversity in Bedrijf is also the initiator of Diversity Day. This year's motto - difference enriches - stands for a workplace where everyone's talent is utilized. Where differences are not only respected, but also seen as enrichment: it is not yet commonplace, although the theme is more alive than ever. This is also the case at HeadFirst Group. In honor of this day, behavioral expert and social psychologist, Dr. Florien Cramwinckel, stood on the stage of our own theater. She took the well-filled audience through the meaning of prejudice and gender. Then we were put to work with an activity, which made the message come in extra well.
As an organization, we remain committed to promoting the principles of equal opportunity. Do you also think it's important to work in an inclusive, equal and safe environment? Where you can and are allowed to be yourself? Then take a look at our current vacancies!
Looking back on a great summer
Looking back on a great summer
Autumn has officially begun. A good time to look back on the summer at HeadFirst Group. A period full of developments, events, new and successful collaborations, but also fantastic four moments. Today we highlight some of them! As an organization we are putting all sails up in the coming months towards a banging final quarter of 2022.
Working at the beach
Now that working in the office has become normal again, we at HeadFirst Group thought it would be extra fun to try something new this summer. What could be better than the sun, sea, and beach? Nothing, we thought. Therefore, all colleagues got the chance to work on the beach for a day. In a specially equipped beach tent, they were able to alternate hard work with a dip in the water. As far as we are concerned, we will do this again next summer!
Summer was fittingly ended with a smashing party, all in Indian Summer theme. Beautiful outfits, music, delicious food and of course the enthusiasm of all colleagues. And all in our own headquarters! This video gives you the feeling that you were there after all.
Did you also enjoy the summer and are ready for a new challenge? At HeadFirst Group we are always looking for new talent. Check out the vacancies here!
Continuous improvement using Lean methodology
Continuous improvement using Lean methodology
Streamlining and simplifying our processes to make them more attractive to our clients, suppliers, freelancers and employees. That is what we value highly. For this reason we started two months ago to apply the Lean philosophy and encourage everyone within HeadFirst Group to 'learn every day'!
Ideal balance between tech & touch
Lean is a methodology for optimizing processes with customer satisfaction in mind. To look at how a process can be "leaner. This means that waste in the process - work that does not add value - is removed from the process. So that more time remains for the tasks that do add value. On the basis that we arrive at the ideal mix between tech and touch.
Home Run through the organization
The Lean program has been named "Home Run," a term from the baseball world just like the name of our organization. In addition, the name resonates because we strive for perfection: hitting a home run. We do this using four bases: strategy and control, leadership and behavior, chain thinking and processes, and communication and change.
These bases are being contributed to from every nook and cranny of the organization. NGenious, specialized in organizational transition and Lean performance improvement, coached us on this. They provide tools to work according to the methodology and to implement permanent improvements. In addition, every colleague gets the opportunity to follow a Yellow Belt training. A perfect fit with our core value of 'learn every day'.
HeadFirst Group in 2025
Continuous improvement is not just something we tackle with Home Run. To improve the user experience of our online platform, we are developing a new front-end. We have also established a Growth Board to work on product innovation, with the primary focus on a new smart matching solution for the mid-market segment. All these steps will help us achieve our main goal: to be the leading international platform in the job market by 2025.
