Social impact
Our People and Social Impact
At VONQ, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We recognize that our success directly results from our employee’s hard work, creativity, and dedication. As such, we strive to create a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative work environment that empowers our people to thrive personally and professionally.
Our team comprises individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences, bringing unique perspectives and skills. We value and celebrate this diversity, recognizing that it drives innovation and enables us to serve our customers better.
Ultimately, investing in our people is vital to serving our customers a better company. Therefore, we commit to providing opportunities for growth, development, and advancement to all our employees.
In 2022, we took an important step towards fostering a more diverse and inclusive workplace by conducting a workshop on Diversity and Inclusion.
Fernanda Groenendijk led the workshop and provided valuable insights and practical tools to help us identify and overcome unconscious biases and promote a more inclusive culture. Through this initiative, we aim to create an environment where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of their background, identity, or personal beliefs.
We are committed to continuing to work towards a more diverse and inclusive workplace, recognizing that this is not only the right thing to do but also a key driver of business success and long-term sustainability.
Employee retention rate
We are pleased to report that our employee retention rate has increased to 74% in 2022, compared to 64% in the previous year. This is a significant achievement, given that our headcount increased by 32% during the same period.
While our retention rate is slightly below the industry average of 80% for the software industry, as reported by LinkedIn, it is still within a reasonable range, especially considering the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
At VONQ, we are committed to continually improving our employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention. We plan to achieve this by focusing on key areas such as employee compensation, work-life balance, growth opportunities, and leadership quality. We firmly believe that our employees are our greatest asset, and their well-being and success are crucial to our long-term success as a company.
In addition, as we continue to grow as a company, we see positive progress in our workforce representation. We have 23 nationalities and will continue to take intentional and measurable steps forward to accelerate more excellent diverse representation in hiring and leadership ranks.
Gender Equality and Representation
However, we are proud to report that by the end of December 2022, our company had grown significantly to a total of 168 employees, with 63% male and 37% female representation.
Furthermore, we are pleased to report that by the end of 2022, we had increased the number of women in leadership roles to 43%.
At VONQ, we recognize the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace and are committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all employees, regardless of gender or other characteristics.
We will continue implementing strategies to improve gender representation across all levels of our organization and foster a culture of inclusion and equity.
Gender Pay Gap
We also recognize the importance of promoting gender equality and reducing gender pay gaps in the workplace. In 2022, we conducted an analysis of our unadjusted gender pay gap, which calculates the difference between the average pay of men and women without taking into account factors such as job level, experience, and qualifications.
Our analysis revealed that the unadjusted gender pay gap at VONQ is 17%, based on the formula ((average pay of men – average pay of women) / average pay of men) x 100. The average pay of men at our company is 32,35, while women’s average pay is 28,32.
At VONQ, we are committed to promoting gender equality and ensuring that all our employees are compensated fairly and equitably for their work. We will continue to review our pay policies and practices to identify any areas for improvement and take action to reduce the gender pay gap.
Employee benefits
At VONQ, we understand the importance of providing our employees with competitive and comprehensive benefits packages. We believe that supporting our employees’ well-being and financial security can help them focus on their work better and contribute to our shared success.
One of our key benefits is providing unlimited holidays. We want our employees to feel free to take the time off they need without worrying about counting the days. Employees can take time off to recharge and care for themselves if their performance meets our expectations.
We also recognize the importance of remote work, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of December 2021, we began employing people remotely, allowing our employees to work from locations where VONQ has no entity. To ensure compliance with local laws and regulations, we have shifted non-core processes to vendors who can help us accelerate this shift. This includes keeping us compliant with local tax laws, regardless of where an employee resides.
Mental health and well-being
Professional and personal development of our employees
At VONQ, we believe that investing in our employees is key to our continued success. We are committed to providing a supportive and rewarding workplace culture that enables our team members to thrive both personally and professionally.
Performance Management Cycles
At VONQ, we are committed to creating a culture of continuous feedback and professional growth for our employees. To achieve this, we have re-developed our ‘performance’ management cycles, which now consist of four cycles per year.
These cycles give every employee the opportunity to set personal goals, reflect on their performance, request feedback from peers, and receive quarterly feedback from their superiors.
We aim to build the highest-performing teams by ensuring that employees are in roles they enjoy and that we attract talent in all areas of our business. We strive to establish an equal and rewarding employee pay system through transparent year-end evaluations and manager panel groups.
Leadership Development
At VONQ, we believe in the importance of leading by example. That’s why one of our priorities was to offer several workshops to our core leadership team.
An important strategic goal for 2022 was to ‘get the right people in the right place.’ Topics of the workshops were therefore focused on, for example, improving employee engagement and driving more transparent performance management processes.
With these workshops, we aim not only to build on improving the leader’s core skills and capabilities but also to equip them with the tools they need (templates, guidelines, and instructions) to manage their teams with a common strategic understanding. Overall, we aim to empower our leaders to drive VONQ’s growth and success for our organization and customers.
Engagement & satisfaction
At VONQ, we think that employee experience is crucial to achieving excellence at work. We understand that a happy employee is a motivated and productive employee, and this reflects in our interactions with customers and suppliers. To ensure our employees’ satisfaction, we have implemented a new tool called ‘Elective.’ This tool measures and increases our understanding of our employees’ feelings by conducting short pulse surveys.
Eletive assesses the organization’s atmosphere and advises employees and managers on improving their engagement levels. By using Eletive, we aim to create a workplace culture that is supportive, engaging, and fulfilling for all our employees.
Traineeship for graduates
In 2022, VONQ provided numerous opportunities for young graduates through internship positions and traineeships. Our program welcomed interns from diverse backgrounds, including Greece and Indonesia. Furthermore, we offered three young graduates a traineeship, and they have since found their best fit within the company and continued their careers with us.
We are committed to providing valuable experiences and opportunities for growth to the next generation of professionals.
Sustainable Workplace
We believe that fostering a sense of community among our employees is crucial to building a sustainable and inclusive workplace. As part of this effort, we organized lunch and well-being workshops and regular lunches provided by a local farmer. These initiatives aimed to bring our teams together, promote conversations about sustainability, and encourage the growth of our business in a socially responsible manner.
In addition to promoting well-being and sustainability, we also supported our team with healthy food and zero-waste products, creating a healthy working environment. We believe that providing access to healthy food options and promoting sustainable practices can contribute to our employees’ overall well-being and productivity.
Nominations/ awards
At VONQ, we are driven by a mission to make the job market more efficient and effective so that employers and job seekers can connect quickly and easily. Our innovative job marketing technologies enable us to provide fast, affordable, and high-quality services to our customers, helping them to reach and convert the best applicants online.
Fosway: Strategic Leader
We are proud to have been recognized by Fosway, Europe’s #1 HR industry analyst, as a Core Leader for Specialist Recruitment Marketing. This recognition is a testament to the positive impact that VONQ is making in the job market and our commitment to providing the best possible service to our customers.
Through our leading automated multi-posting and Programmatic Job Marketing technologies, our customers gain a complete understanding of their best online sources and their applicant journeys. This gives them a vital advantage in reaching and converting the best candidates without the tedious effort, cost, or complexity of researching and managing multiple vendors individually.
At VONQ, we are passionate about driving positive change in the job market. We are committed to innovating and improving our services to help employers and job seekers connect more effectively.
Great Place to Work®
In late 2022, VONQ took part in a survey to earn the prestigious Great Place to Work® certification.
We’re proud to announce that our offices in Düsseldorf, Groningen, and Rotterdam have achieved this distinction, reflecting our colleagues’ hard work and dedication. VONQ likes to express its gratitude to every employee who contributed to this achievement and reaffirm our commitment to fostering a positive and engaging workplace culture.
With this recognition, we are motivated to continue striving for excellence in all aspects of our operations.
Social Impact of Our Donations and Voluntary Work
We were proud to support a charity during Christmas by collecting gifts with our colleagues in Rotterdam for the children of the food bank. This initiative aimed to spread holiday cheer and bring joy to those in need, particularly children whose parents may be unable to afford gifts during the holiday season.
We also took action to contribute to a greener environment and give back to society by organizing clean-up days in the cities of Rotterdam and Düsseldorf. Our employees actively participated in these initiatives, helping to clean up public spaces and promote environmental sustainability in our local communities.
We are proud to share that our German team at VONQ has made a meaningful contribution to the Tierschutzverein Düsseldorf e.V., a local animal shelter, by donating goods and money. The team’s effort aimed to support the well-being of the animals by providing them with food and toys while also recognizing the tireless work of the shelter’s volunteers by donating sweets and cookies. We encourage everyone to reflect on their relationship with animals, whether through owning pets or working in an animal-friendly environment.
As we continue our commitment to social responsibility, we are proud of the impact we made in 2022 through these initiatives. We remain dedicated to creating a positive social impact in our communities, fostering a culture of sustainability and well-being, and driving meaningful change for our employees and the wider society.
