Rolling out the red carpet for Babbage professionals

UWV is committed to a society in which everyone can participate. UWV makes work and income possible for everyone and is committed to preventing unemployment and disability. Over 22.000 employees work at UWV across seven divisions. Sandy Perquin has been working at UWV for three years, including eighteen months as Head of Communications and Issue Management. She leads the District Communications Advisors (DCAs) team. UWV has eleven districts where DCAs work. The DCAs team is part of the UWV Corporate Communications Team (75 FTEs).

According to Sandy, there's more in common between district communication advice and issue management than you might initially think. "It's often said it's an odd combination. However, issue management also involves managing the UWV's reputation. That's what DCAs do in their districts as well. They don't just explain to the press when something goes wrong, but also demonstrate what we're doing and what's going well, such as helping businesses during the coronavirus crisis." This involves a lot, so Sandy's team has more than doubled in size recently. In this case study, she discusses this process.

Challenge and objective

Assembling the team

Sandy's team grew from one communications advisor (DCA) per district to two DCAs. This meant the number of DCAs had to grow from 11 to 22 within a year. Sandy explains that this presented several challenges. "The first major challenge was that I wanted to complete my team as quickly as possible," she says. "You have to find these professionals and ensure they're well-placed."

Another challenge in building her team is still a hot topic, even for us at Babbage. "The tight labor market," Sandy explains. "We're dealing with that a lot at UWV, of course. We try to help people who are redundant in one sector find good jobs in other sectors with shortages as best as we can. But I also had to deal with this a lot when building my team. It's not easy to find the right professionals quickly."

Maintaining a growing team

One challenge Sandy is currently facing is the team, which is growing so rapidly. As you can imagine, talking to everyone takes up a lot of time. "I call it my bila marathon," Sandy laughs. "I try to do it once a month because I think it's important to be there for everyone. But in a team of 30, there needs to be a middle layer. I'm working on appointing national coordinators to help coordinate the team. That's the first part of the challenge that's coming."

The other part of the challenge concerns changes within the team. Sandy explains: "A while ago, I was cheering: 'YES, we're done! We've got everyone!' But people are also leaving to grow and take the next step in their careers. That makes perfect sense. It also provides breathing room and creates room for growth within the team. Meanwhile, there are three DCA positions open again. Babbage has remained as the preferred supplier to fill the DCA and national coordinator positions."

Contribution and result

During the recruitment process, Babbage van AZ is responsible for the recruitment process. We take the time to get to know the company, so we can conduct a selective search as a trusted and exclusive partner – both within and outside our own network. The UWV and Babbage have been working together for almost 15 years, primarily in the field of hiring temporary professionals. For the past year, they have also been a permanent recruitment partner for recruitment & selection. The total number of DCAs placed so far stands at 7, and this number is still growing.

Two-thirds of the team I have now was assembled in the past year. Even I, as the team's manager, was new. The existing DCAs had a so-called one-man role without a manager. There were quite a few changes, comparable to a merger of sorts for the television program "Expeditie Robinson," which had just restarted. I gave this project that name. We had to merge into one team, which was achieved in part thanks to Babbage's help.

A nice interaction with Babbage

Sandy has had a positive experience with Babbage as a partner: "Babbage really listens and thinks along with you. What I especially appreciate is that you take over the burden of recruiting new colleagues by finding professionals and conducting the right pre-selection. That way, I know: if you offer a professional, I can schedule an interview right away. Sometimes I hear that clients approach an interview with a professional with a very critical eye, but I know they already meet a certain screening requirement. When you propose professionals, we have to roll out the red carpet. Putting a professional through her paces is outdated these days. It's almost a world turned upside down: as an employer, you have to prove yourself. The professional thinks: what's in it for me? That's why I primarily try to show what professionals can bring to me and what they can learn in the role, without asking critical questions about their qualities. You do that, and that's what I appreciate so much about our collaboration."

"I was pleased to hear that Babbage has more assignments from UWV," Sandy continues. "So I'm not the only department you're working with. You're also gaining more and more experience with government agencies and are truly becoming specialists in that area. That experience is always positive. Babbage's consultants complement our knowledge, and that's how we get the full picture. It's a pleasant interaction."

The importance of a good relationship

"I always find a good relationship very important," says Sandy. "If you know what you have in common, you can also work well together. Babbage invests in lasting relationships, and I find that important too. Much more important than constantly entering into a new relationship with perhaps a commercial premise. The relationship itself entails much more. For example, you have the necessary prior knowledge, we don't have to get to know each other again, and we're well-coordinated. It's all about building the best possible team, and that requires knowledge and expertise. That's why I'm in the right place with you."