Kröller Boom helps HR operate at a higher strategic level by taking over all tasks in the administration, management and communication of insurable terms of employment and (sustainable) employability.
Supported by smart technology and links, Kröller Boom delivers relevant HR reports that boost your organization’s strategic HR policy.
The insights gained allow us to offer the organization solutions in the area of insurable working conditions and sustainable employability that match the organizational profile.
In this interview, Marcel van Pinxteren and Joost de Vente explain how Kröller Boom helps HR to make a demonstrable contribution to the company’s strategic objectives.
The cost-control-compliance triangle is essential for HR, but it also provides a source of information as a basis for the complete HR strategy, Marcel van Pinxteren and Joost de Vente tell us. “You can use the data that is already available to gain insight into numerous topics that directly touch on HR strategy. From there, you arrive at informed solutions.”
Marcel van Pinxteren: “Administration, contract management, keeping track of and acting on developments in laws and regulations, communication about insurable benefits and absenteeism require a lot of HR’s time. And in general these are not the most popular activities. Moreover, these activities distract HR from its main task: ensuring that Human Capital makes a maximum contribution to the organization’s goals. For some time now, we have seen companies opt to outsource these activities. We take this entire process of cost-control compliance off their hands, so HR can focus on its primary task. And, that’s actually much more interesting, we use innovative tools. With the reports and analyses we compile from these, you have gold in your hands for the basis and underpinning of the complete HR strategy.”
Insight through scenarios
Joost: “CHROs must contribute to business strategy through HR strategy. We can provide HR reports that lead to valuable insights. Many organizations lack important information, such as trends in sick leave and a clear overview of the organization’s demographics. But we can deliver many more insights by also linking future perspectives to this kind of data. What happens in terms of costs, absenteeism rates and productivity under different scenarios? How many people are leaving in the coming years? We actually take a picture of the current situation and help direct the film about the future.”
Determine HR strategy
Based on these reports and scenarios, you can think about opportunities to act on them to support business strategy. Marcel: “If the current situation and future developments are clear, you can, for example, look for solutions with an eye to sustainable employability. Are there perhaps people you would like to retire (partially) earlier? Can space be created to reduce physically demanding work? Can employees be guided in their careers now to be ready for the future?” Joost: “In addition to data and scenarios, we also engage in conversations with the employees themselves for this purpose.” (see also example in box) “After all, at the end of the day, employees have to do it themselves. They will have to take the final action. Therefore, individual employees must also be involved. The employer facilitates.”
Marcel: “At a company in the Port of Rotterdam, for example, we saw that employees drop out more quickly as they get older due to heavy physical labor. The organization and opportunities were not to blame: there are various schemes available to reduce working hours or retire early. However, little use was being made of these, even though it is important to prevent dropout and create space on the payroll with an eye to the future. Interviews revealed that employees thought they were giving up too much. We then discussed gross income, net income and disposable income. Together we arrived at a total financial overview. This overview includes financial matters arranged by the employer, but also the private financial matters arranged by the employee concerned. The overview ultimately provides insight into the feasibility of retiring early, whether or not in combination with early retirement. And if this overview shows not only a realistic picture but also a feasible scenario, then the employer and the employee concerned can enter into further consultations aimed at an early termination of the employment. This is ultimately a good solution for both the employee in question and the employer. But to get here, you must first understand your employee base and be able to detect which employee is eligible to use schemes.”
Joost: “These are not one-time actions, but constitute an ongoing process, in which you have to have a view of the past, the present and the future. Laws and regulations also play a role. For example, do you have heavy professions in your organization? Then it is necessary to make arrangements now. At least, if you want to make use of the fiscal arrangements, because it is already known that after January 1, 2026 (the so-called Early Retirement Scheme) there will be a line through that. But of course, sustainable employability does not only play a role in physically demanding work.”
Data and vitality
Data may seem dry, but it can provide so much insight. Also on more soft topics such as vitality, health and lifestyle. Joost: “Here, too, we can advise on the basis of data. For example, by means of a periodic medical examination and by analyzing and benchmarking care consumption. If you see that psychological help is sought more than average within the organization, you can ask yourself why. Is it in the demographics of the organization, for example, or are there work-related issues at play? Not everything can be influenced, but many things can. By making those connections, you can see the complete connection when it comes to human capital.”
Employee experience
The employee is becoming more and more central, including for arranging needs in a variety of areas. Joost: “Whereas general regulations were offered before, more room is now being asked for personal adjustments. This is partly prompted by new legislation, for example in the area of pensions, but employees themselves are also making higher demands.” Marcel: “We were always providing customized corporate wellness, but by integrating good tools we have further expanded our arsenal. With these overviews, insights and action perspectives, we can match employees’ needs even better. Our approach is characterized by good communication and consultation with employees, and in doing so, we fully align with the style of the organization.”
Joost: “You often hear the term employee experience these days, especially in sectors where there is scarcity on the labor market, such as ICT and technical professions. This good employee experience of a company helps to retain, bind and fascinate employees. They also remain ambassadors of your company should someone decide to continue their career elsewhere at some point. Former employees are a calling card for your company.”
We link different systems and figures to provide insight and actionable insights. At what positions should HR take what actions? This keeps HR “in control” of costs and risks and makes a demonstrable structural contribution to the organization’s strategic goals.
HR faces major challenges. By providing insights and services, Kröller Boom helps HR achieve its goals. The platform used by Kröller Boom is the key to the solution. This platform, coupled with the HR system, provides an STP solution for all administration and management of insurable benefits and activities surrounding absenteeism and disability. All collected data is converted into understandable reports to support the HR policy pursued. At the same time, it provides real-time insight so that appropriate solutions can be offered in the areas of benefits, human capital risk management, employee communication and sustainable employability.
