Corporate Social Responsibility,
it is in our DNA

SD Worx Annual report 2109 | Corporate Social Responsibility, it is in our DNA

For many years now, social commitment, good governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) have been at the core of SD Worx. As an international people solutions provider, we recognise that we have a considerable impact on individual people and society as a whole. This is why we invest in good causes throughout the year and encourage our people to take action by launching their own initiatives.

While SD Worx NV unites SD Worx People Solutions and SD Worx Staffing & Career Solutions, our sustainability report mainly covers activities undertaken by SD Worx People Solutions in Belgium. Belgium is, of course, where our story began almost 75 years ago. It is also only since 2019 that SD Worx Staffing & Career Solutions has existed. Step by step, we are moving toward a report that reflects the CSR efforts of SD Worx NV as a whole.

Here is an overview of some achievements – years-long traditions and new initiatives, both local and international – that we are very proud of.

Traditional chocolate sale for MS League of Flanders

Multiple sclerosis is an incurable, chronic inflammatory disease that affects the nervous system. For several years now, SD Worx has offered space for MS Liga Vlaanderen volunteers, and our colleagues help out in September by purchasing chocolate. In 2019, we raised €1,196.

€1,196 SD Worx Annual report 2109 | Traditional chocolate sale for MS League of Flanders SD Worx Annual report 2109 | Traditional chocolate sale for MS League of Flanders SD Worx Annual report 2109 | Traditional chocolate sale for MS League of Flanders

Guiding refugees towards the right jobs

In Flanders, 1 in 5 young people who have migrated to the region is unemployed. In Brussels, this figure is even higher. Those who are employed often have jobs that fail to match their capabilities, which often leads to dissatisfaction and eventual job loss. The SD Worx Fund started backing Rising You in 2019. This organisation guides young migrants towards challenging jobs that are tailored to their abilities.

Burn for good – German colleagues move for a good cause

Every year, many of us try to improve our health by promising to take up sports. It is a great idea, but wouldn’t it even better if we could help others at the same time? That is twice the incentive. Our German colleagues did not hesitate and launched Burn4Good. The idea is to register every exercise activity they do during the month and for every 1000 calories burned, €1 is donated to a good cause. The colleague who burns the most calories can pick which charity or non-profit receives the money.

In 2019, our German employees burned a total of 1,027,300 calories, good for €1,029 in donations to several good causes.

€1,029 donations to several good causes

The Payback Foundation

SD Worx UK & Ireland started this charity in 1997, and it is still managed by our British colleagues to this day. Over the past 20+ years, the Payback Foundation has helped over 700 children and their families and collected well over €700,000.

€700,000+

PayBack is funded entirely through voluntary donations and fundraising activities. Our colleagues don’t need much encouragement when it comes to supporting their local communities and are always coming up with new fundraising ideas.

SD Worx Annual report 2109 | Anne-Marie Cootjans, responsible for CSR at SD Worx NV

“We are happy to see that so many of our colleagues want to do something for the community and are giving back in various forms. As a company, we also support numerous projects to make our world a better place.”
– Anne-Marie Cootjans, responsible for CSR at SD Worx NV

SD Worx Annual report 2109 | Corporate Social Responsibility

Employees take centre stage in our HR policy

Making sure that no one gets left behind during our digital transformation project

Artificial intelligence, robotics and other digital innovations are reshaping our lives, both privately and at work. But today, companies still rarely provide the same smooth digital journeys at work that we enjoy in our leisure time.

As SD Worx, we want to be a frontrunner in this area and kicked off a transformation project in 2017. The aim: to make our company even more customer centric by rethinking the way we work together with our customers and with colleagues.

“Change is the new normal in this fast-moving digital world”, explains Cathy Geerts, chief HR officer at SD Worx People Solutions. “That has an impact on the way we work at SD Worx and the competencies we need. Relying on what you already know is no longer enough to stay relevant. Together with our employees, we focus on developing the right mindset and mastering 3 basic competencies:

  1. Agility: expect the unexpected. Be open to change.
  2. Thinking & acting outside-in: put yourself in the shoes of our customers.
  3. Connecting: it’s not what you know that makes the difference, it’s who you’re connected to and your ability to reach out to your network to access information.”
SD Worx Annual report 2109 | Cathy Geerts, chief HR officer at SD Worx People Solutions

“We feel it is our duty to our employees, and we are more than happy to make this investment.”
– Cathy Geerts, chief HR officer at SD Worx People Solutions

Sincere dedication to diversity

SD Worx applies an inclusive recruitment policy. All forms of discrimination are prohibited. Every applicant undergoes the same assessment process, with capabilities and motivation as key criteria for employment decisions. When it comes to employing vulnerable people, our commitment is sincere and determined. As a signee of the Decent Work for All charter, together with 50 companies and employment organisations, we dedicate ourselves to paying more attention to disadvantaged groups. In this way, we work together at an industry level on inclusive recruitment policy to reflect societal diversity on the work floor.

SD Worx Annual report 2109 | Sincere dedication to diversity
For more information about our CSR efforts, download our annual CSR report at www.sdworx.com/csr.
SD Worx Annual report 2109 | Corporate Social Responsibility