YoungCapital is the largest recruitment agency for young people in the Netherlands, and the company continues to work towards an inclusive labour market with the participation of all young people. And they do so in all kinds of cool and contemporary ways. Initially, the company stands out mainly for its innovative actions. But behind YoungCapital’s trendy facade, there is more: the universal needs of employees (including temporary workers) are at the center. YoungCapital’s vision is simple, concise, and clear. ‘Whoever you are or wherever you come from, everyone deserves a fair chance at a great job. Temporary workers must be mentally and physically resilient, feel safe and secure, and have opportunities for personal development.’
Special community
YoungCapital has established a special community dedicated to inclusivity. This community consists of 25 colleagues from all levels of the organisation. This community initiates most of the initiatives. For example, YoungCapital has joined the Diversity Charter of the Social and Economic Council (SER), participates in Diversity Day, organises activities related to Pride and World Refugee Day, and celebrates the end of Ramadan. Furthermore, employee well-being is monitored twice a year through satisfaction surveys, with ample space for aspects such as ‘feeling,’ ‘happiness,’ ‘safety,’ and ‘feeling heard.’
The clients
The biggest challenge for YoungCapital is the clients. How do you make sure they set aside their biases? Although clients are more open to other candidates due to the tight labour market, this remains a complicated problem. Talking to clients is always a good idea, but it takes a lot of time. Therefore, YoungCapital has developed virtual reality training where clients can experience how exclusion feels. By literally and figuratively looking through a different lens, they experience the feeling of being excluded. This training will start this year.
Anti-discrimination training
All recruiters within YoungCapital receive anti-discrimination training. This is important because if a client makes a discriminatory request, a recruiter must be assertive enough not to be pushed into a corner. Recruiters naturally want to maintain a good relationship and be liked by clients. And that’s fine, but there are limits. If recruiters cannot redirect the request, YoungCapital’s answer is ‘no.’
Practice what you preach: is that the standard in the recruitment industry?
Not all recruitment agencies say ‘no’ to clients. Clients are aware of their hierarchical relationship with the recruitment agency and can use various techniques to make the recruitment agencies meet their demands. Sometimes ‘codes’ are used to make recruitment agencies understand the client’s candidate preferences. Recruitment agencies can also be pressured with threats, such as being placed on a ‘blacklist’ for future collaborations.
Work as a category
YoungCapital’s mission is to get all young people to work and claims to encompass ‘work’ in the broadest sense of the word. YoungCapital has always had a keen eye on what matters to young people. In the Whatever Works, Work campaign, we see that young people nowadays earn money in many different ways. From ‘regular’ temporary work and reselling sneakers to NFT art sales and other side hustles. The most important thing for YoungCapital is that young people work.
YoungCapital becomes the first recruitment agency to use podcasts
It is the first time that a recruitment agency is using podcasts in a campaign. YoungCapital started a podcast and influencer campaign in October 2022 as part of the Whatever Works campaign. They are collaborating with over 40 creators, influencers, and artists to put the topic of ‘work’ on the agenda for young people. YoungCapital immerses itself in the world of young people and presents ‘work’ in a surprising and refreshing way. They use real stories and focus not only on the positive side. In this way, the creators paint a beautiful picture of the impact work has on one’s life. They hope to inspire young people and show that it’s okay to make wrong choices occasionally. Their main goal is for all young people to find a job that works for them.
Sources
Alle jongeren aan het werk. Doe jij met ons mee? https://jongpit.nl/je-als-jongere-inzetten/allejongerenaanhetwerk/
YoungCapital gebruikt podcasts en influencers om werk bij jongeren te promoten: https://www.marketingtribune.nl/bureaus/nieuws/2022/10/youngcapital-gebruikt-podcasts-en-influencers-om-werk-bij-jongeren-te-promo/index.xml
Everybody Work werkplek: https://www.youngcapital.nl/campagne/everybody-work-werkplek/
Hoe motiveer je jongeren in het bedrijfsleven? https://www.kennethsmit.com/kennisbank/hoe-motiveer-je-jongeren-in-het-bedrijfsleven/
Iedereen verdient een eerlijke kans op een leuke baan: https://www.abu.nl/kennisbank/inclusieve-arbeidsmarkt/iedereen-verdient-een-eerlijke-kans-op-een-leuke-baan/
How organisations discriminate during recruitment: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2019/03/11/how-organisations-discriminate-during-recruitment/
YoungCapital lanceert nieuwe campagne whatever works: https://www.adformatie.nl/campagnes/youngcapital-lanceert-nieuwe-campagne-whatever-works