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Guestblog: How Basefarm became a Great Place to Work

Basefarm is a great workplace. However, don't take our word for it: ask the experts at Great Place to Work who have certified Basefarm in Sweden and listed Basefarm Netherlands and Norway among the best workplaces in 2018. This is the result of a long-term commitment in making Basefarm a great place to work.

"These awards make us proud," says Marcel Ravenshorst, SVP Human Resources at Basefarm. "Five years ago, we set an ambitious goal to become a Best Workplace and have made employee satisfaction a priority in the organization. It is very rewarding now to see the outcome of the work done in Basefarm, not only the awards, but also the improvements that have been made. This is a reward for everyone who has contributed to make Basefarm a great employer: the employees, the managers and our HR team."

Systematic work always works!

Since 2013, Basefarm has systematically worked on a 'Great Place to Work Cycle' which is an annual feedback loop from the employees providing feedback to management regarding areas of improvement. In this way, the managers fully support the defined areas and addresses the feedback from the organization. Communication around the plans and progress are key factors for success.

Internal communication and how to make expectations clear are two examples of feedback items that were defined as improvement areas.

How to improve internal communication

Some things we have done over the last 2 years is to improve our communication around our strategies and goals and keep our employees informed what we are doing to get there. We have implemented a Leadership Communication portal, a KPI dashboard and introduced a continuous service improvement (CSI) program for prioritized projects in Basefarm.

We organize quarterly all-hands through skype and local dialogue meetings between the CEO and all staff in each country, where he addresses questions, explains our strategic goals, provides status updates on prioritized projects and informs the organization on our financial results. Furthermore, we introduced Slack for interaction between employees, customers, in projects and for the integration of Basefarm with our new colleagues of the newly acquired Unbelievable Machine in Germany and Austria.

Clear expectations for improved employee satisfaction

The second improvement area was to set clear expectations to the organization and the employees. "What is expected from me holding a specific position?" or "what do I need to do to obtain a more senior position?". We are in the process of implementing a Capability Framework that defines position descriptions including core competences, technical and behavioral skills, and qualifications for all positions.

We asked Rick Stiphout, Technical Account Manager in the Netherlands, what he thinks about working here: "Basefarm helps me develop in doing what I love to do: satisfying customers by adding value to their business with our technical expertise."

Meet the Basefarmers

Dan Yden and Mari Warlo Melsom are department managers in Sweden and Norway and we asked them how they work with teams and individual development.

"I help my team perform by identifying, strengthening and investing in each team member's unique set of competencies, enabling them to succeed in reaching both their individual and corporate goals," says Dan Yden, Head of Microsoft Datacenter Services.

He says the most important thing when creating a team is to constantly visualize and nourish the success possibilities in the team culture.

"This creates an arena where each member contributes and take personal responsibility in achieving the team goals," Yden says.

Mari Kristine Warlo Melsom, Department Manager Service Delivery in Norway, says that diversity of skills is important.

"Getting teams that consist of individuals with different abilities and talents to work together to solve a common problem creates real enthusiasm," she explains. "To achieve this, it is important to make each team member understand their part and especially the value they bring to the customers."

"Each team member must also respect and recognize each other's specialities and differences," Warlo Melsom continues. "Furthermore, they need to realize that working for a team means that everybody must attempt to be the best edition of themselves and to strive to develop in that direction. This requires self-discipline and will. As a leader, that is what I am trying to achieve with my teams."

We asked Marcel Ravenshorst what he personally likes most about working at Basefarm: "I love being able to make a positive difference. I can tackle an issue and make improvements. I can continually take on new challenges, so I am never bored and am always developing myself. There are so many opportunities where ideas can have a positive impact. "

Work-life balance

Some of the other areas Basefarm focuses on to be a great workplace include health, family and the work-life balance. Read more here what we do to improve work-life balance.

You often hear about sustainability when it comes to the environment, but it is also important to create a sustainable work life. Always remember that to have a successful career you need balance between your work and private life and in Basefarm it is possible to schedule your work accordingly.

If you are looking for a great place to work we invite you to check out our career page!

Basefarm's Great Place to Work certifications and awards

the Netherlands: awarded Best Workplaces in 2018 (category 20-50 employees). Check out our page on www.bestworkplaces.nl
Norway: awarded Best Workplaces in 2016, 2017 and 2018 (category 200-499 employees)
Sweden: Certified Great Place to Work – 2018
Germany *UM: awarded Best Workplaces (ICT) and Best Workplaces (Berlin and Brandenburg) in 2017



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