Employees

The number of permanent employees increased to 32,032 at the end of 2024 (2023: 30,881). The increase is due to growth in the total number of employees in Germany. In Belgium and Switzerland the number of employees was stable. In the Netherlands, the small decrease was due to the loss of a limited number of contracts in healthcare services and cleaning and the tight labour market, which is attractive for employees and allows them to change jobs more quickly. The full-time equivalent increased to 19,481 (2023: 19,247). Of our workforce, 78% are employed part-time (2023: 77%), with women comprising 67% (2023: 67%). Furthermore, we engage over 800 independent healthcare professionals and 7,500 employees through our joint ventures, resulting in a total of more than 40,000 colleagues.

Our Beliefs & Behaviours

In 2024, we continued to grow and strengthen a culture of recognition across our entire leadership community – one that makes the implicit essence of our culture explicit. Our Beliefs & Behaviours play an essential role in this journey. They give meaning to our purpose, strategy and brand.

We established these Beliefs & Behaviours in 2023. Our focus in 2024 was on implementation. By the end of the year, all core companies had delivered a roadmap for how they would bring Beliefs & Behaviours to life in their organisation.

For example, in December 2024, Vebego Cleaning & Services in Belgium welcomed 1,100 colleagues and their families to Walibi to celebrate the merger into one company. By inviting not only our people but also their families, we extended the sense of connection beyond the workplace. This created a stronger sense of ownership among our people as well. It was a powerful example of the experience we want to create, where everyone feels part of the extended Vebego family.

In the Netherlands, Vebego Cleaning Services has integrated our Beliefs & Behaviours into a ‘travel experience’ designed specifically for managers. Over the course of five days, participants not only strengthen their leadership skills but also experience personal growth. They learn more about the kind of behaviour needed to go the extra (s)mile and how to support their teams in becoming the best versions of themselves. This investment encourages a shared mindset and helps to create meaningful work for our people.

Our company management will continue to implement these Beliefs & Behaviours throughout our organisation. We want to ensure that colleagues and customers alike feel recognised, positively surprised, inspired and part of the Vebego family. The Beliefs & Behaviours are the foundation of who we are, and they will continue to guide us in our journey towards becoming an inspiring example of meaningful business success by 2030.

Employee engagement

Understanding how our people feel about their work and what we can do to support them even better is essential to improving as an organisation. In 2024, we took important steps to improve the way we measure employee engagement. In recent years, we used the Great Place to Work (GPTW) approach. It served us well, and we enjoyed the collaboration with our partners. But as we began to articulate our culture more explicitly, our needs changed. We needed data that was more forward-looking and actionable. This led to the introduction of our own measurement tool: Assist Analytics.

Net Engagement Score

The Net Engagement Score (NES) is at the heart of this approach. It is based on 16 key questions about leadership behaviour and the work environment. The NES shows how engagement is distributed throughout the organisation and classifies employees as either highly engaged (promoters) or less engaged (detractors) based on their scores on the 16 key topics.

In 2024, the strategic core companies and Vebego Group began rolling out this new method, with full adoption (including Vebego AG, Vebego Facility Services and Vebego Groen) planned in 2025. Assist Analytics enables us to measure more often, and gain a better understanding of how they experience their work and what helps them thrive. The beauty of the tool is its ability to go beyond reporting what has happened. Instead, it uses predictive and prescriptive insights to help us understand what is likely to happen next – and what we can do to influence it.

In 2024, the NES score was +24.

• 31% of respondents classified as highly engaged, 8% as detracters 

• The highest average scores were for ‘Clear objectives’ (8.5), ‘Work-life balance’ (8.4) and ‘Autonomy’ (8.4).

• The average response rate was 54.3%, which provides a solid basis for drawing meaningful conclusions.

The goal for each company is to improve each year.

Young Vebego: Growth, connection and international ambition

Young Vebego is a community of enthusiastic and ambitious employees aged 20 to 30, working within the Vebego family of companies. Every year, a range of events and initiatives are organised to create value – for the young professionals themselves, for the company and for Vebego as a whole.

In 2024, we made great progress in professionalising Young Vebego in the Netherlands and laid the first foundations for an international Young Vebego network. A Young Vebego board was established in Germany, and opportunities are being explored in Switzerland and Belgium. Members have also started tackling real business cases within various Vebego companies, with highlights including the return of the Introduction Day and a successful study on robotisation.

In the Netherlands, Young Vebego provided valuable advice on the rollout of Beliefs & Behaviours and began working on a concept for a 'shadow board'. They also closed the gap between the SLT and the broader Young Vebego community, ensuring that the ideas and perspectives of the next generation are heard.

Young Vebego members Mylène, Carin and Natalie were invited to join the Vebego Leadership Conference

In 2025, Young Vebego will build on this momentum. The community will expand its international reach through an international young professionals meeting. Under the name Refresh & Reflect, Young Vebego will continue advising on key strategic topics, such as Beliefs & Behaviours. By strengthening the ties between young professionals and senior leadership, Young Vebego is not only building a cross-border network but also contributing to a future-ready organisation.

View on Talent

View on Talent is our approach to talent development and retention. It gives us the structure, tools and data to better understand our leadership pipeline and emphasises and encourages a culture of continuous learning and development. This is the second year of View on Talent within our leadership community, and we’ve also started introducing it to the Vebego companies. We believe it is essential to gain a deeper understanding of our employees so we can develop more future-ready successors and ensure organisational continuity in a competitive labour market.

Attracting and retaining talent

Attracting and retaining top talent remains one of the greatest challenges for our organisation. We have made progress in strengthening our employer brand. In Switzerland, for example, we redesigned our online application platforms and introduced more innovative recruitment practices such as active sourcing. But finding talent is only half the battle. Keeping that talent, and helping people thrive, is where the real challenge lies.

To address this, we continue to invest in delivering the employee experience we want to offer. From increasing transparency around compensation and benefits to promoting well-being and flexibility, we aim to be an attractive employer. In Germany, we support experienced professionals seeking a fresh start – whether for health reasons, career shifts from industries such as postal services and manufacturing, or as qualified refugees looking for new opportunities. We provide retraining programmes to equip them with the skills they need to rejoin the workforce. We also regularly participate in external recruitment events to extend our reach and connect with new talent.

In Belgium, our focus has been on creating a meaningful onboarding experience. A structured series of interviews at six weeks, six months and one year helps new employees settle in, remain engaged and align their development with their career aspirations. However, one of the biggest challenges across all our markets – whether in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands or Switzerland – is bridging the generation gap in workplace expectations. Young professionals are looking for greater flexibility and a healthier work-life balance. The question remains: how do we build a more adaptable and forward-looking work culture for every generation?

Beyond value benefits, we believe that learning, development and good conversations are critical to retaining talent. That is why we are investing in training programmes, development opportunities and improving employee engagement. We are also committed to taking a broader, more inclusive perspective – welcoming diverse talent and ensuring that everyone, regardless of background or experience, can find meaningful work and a sense of belonging within our organisation.

Equal pay

We are committed to transparency and equal pay for work of equal value. In our Dutch Vebego companies, we have implemented a job evaluation system for positions not covered by collective labour agreements. This system includes benchmarking against global salary data and reviewing salary ranges and growth rates. We began rolling out this system in Belgium in 2024. Implementation is underway in Switzerland, with Germany set to follow. Expanding this approach throughout the Vebego organisation will promote pay equity and ensure alignment with market standards.

Vebego Foundation: working together for a better tomorrow

Vebego Foundation is an independent entity, funded by Vebego Group. On 1 January 2024, the new international Vebego Foundation board took office: in addition to the Netherlands and Flanders, our foundation will now also be active in Germany, Switzerland and Wallonia. Our goal remains the same: to make tomorrow brighter for underprivileged children and young people. Building this foundation took time, especially in Germany and Switzerland, where there is a different culture surrounding corporate volunteering. While many local organisations are keen to accept donations, opportunities for larger-scale, hands-on volunteering are harder to find than in the Netherlands and Belgium. We shifted our focus in these countries to smaller, regional initiatives, particularly through My Effort, My Project. This approach proved to be a real success in 2024. With the support of the foundation, our employees launched 88 projects to support associations or other organisations with their time, energy and skills. Twelve projects came from our German employees – a great start, given that it was the programme’s first year there.

Joining Stichting Pelicano There were other highlights in 2024. In Belgium, for example, we joined Stichting Pelicano. This foundation supports children living in poverty until they complete their education and become active members of society. With this addition, we now support two organisations in Belgium (Pelicano and FEESTvarken vzw), similar to the support we give Sam& for all children and Stichting Jarige Job in the Netherlands. Our aim is to find a third long-term partner in both countries. The search is in full swing in the Netherlands.

Third Community College in Sri Lanka Another highlight in 2024 was the opening of a third Community College rural Sri Lanka. Built by the Sampath Foundation with support from Wilde Ganzen and the Vebego Foundation, this school offers young people the tools to build a better life through education and entrepreneurship. Each Community College helps lift an average of 100 families out of poverty every year by preparing students to start their own small business. Continuity is important in this partnership: each Community College is built to eventually become self-sufficient. We are already working with Sampath and Wilde Ganzen to lay the groundwork for a fourth Community College. The land has already been purchased. We hope to organise another volunteer building trip once construction begins. It will be a great opportunity to roll up our sleeves again and literally help build a better future.

More visibility, more impact To create an even greater positive impact, we recognise the need to increase the visibility of the Vebego Foundation, particularly within our own organisation. After all, it’s our people who can make the difference. That’s why in 2024, we took a fresh look at how we communicate about the foundation. We’ve worked on improving our messaging, and we’ve revitalised our Foundation Ambassadors Community. Because creating impact is not only more effective when we do it together, it’s also much more rewarding. Looking ahead to 2025, you’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more from the Vebego Foundation!