2.2  Progress on our people

In 2024, we continued to invest in our people. Throughout the year, we focused on enhancing learning and development opportunities, talent identification and progression, and leadership development. In addition, we established a dedicated team to move our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) ambitions forward.

Key figures

The Nedap organization grew to 1,041 people (999 FTEs) in 2024, an increase of 1.3%. We were able to successfully recruit new talent for our business units and Nedap-wide positions, despite the tight labor market. Turnover was 10.8%, which was in line with 2023 (10.6%). Turnover was primarily related to the scaling down of solutions, natural attrition (retirement) and workforce adjustments to better align our team with our strategic objectives. 

People and talent development

In 2024, we further aligned our people and talent development approach with our strategic ambitions, identifying three opportunities: accelerating leadership, building vital capabilities and advancing Nedap talents. We continued to expand our portfolio of foundational programs, self-directed learning solutions and Nedap Academies, with the goal of creating a learning ecosystem that enables people to take the lead in their own development. In expanding our offer, we focus on relevance, accessibility and scalability. In addition, we increasingly prioritize internal programs to leverage our own expertise and facilitate knowledge-sharing, creating development opportunities for and by Nedap employees.

Accelerating leadership

We seek to support our employees in demonstrating personal leadership, regardless of their role in the organization. In 2024, we built on our Nedap Leadership Framework, which articulates our leadership vision, to create leadership profiles. For each profile, we have identified accountabilities and responsibilities, their potential challenges, and the skills they need to succeed in their role. The purpose of this initiative is to make our leadership vision explicit and unambigious, with clear expectations and actions.

The Leading Professionals program, launched in 2024, helps employees to develop these essential leadership skills. The Leading Professionals program is a direct response to employee requests for a more skills-focused approach to leadership development. Employees have access to a comprehensive training curriculum focused on practical and everyday skills, such as clear and effective communication and managing difficult conversations.

Building vital capabilities

We offer several Nedap Academies to build vital capabilities. In 2024, more than 400 people participated in our Tech Academy, which consists of in-person and online trainings provided by Nedap employees as well as external experts. The program offers four tracks: a future track related to emerging skills such as artificial intelligence, an expertise track focused on core skills, a professional track emphasizing project-related skills, and a ‘train the expert’ track dedicated to didactic skills. The annual TechKnow Event is an integral part of the Tech Academy. It is hosted for and by Nedap employees, with Nedap experts sharing their expertise through tech talks, workshops and meetups across functional and business unit boundaries. The theme of the 2024 TechKnow Event was 'In the world of knowledge, there are no limits'. 

Another key milestone in 2024 was the launch of our learning management system, the Nedap Learning Platform, to facilate knowledge-sharing and promote self-directed learning. The platform shows all available personal and professional development programs within Nedap in one overview and allows employees to access training materials at any time. There are also dedicated sections, such as the Tech Academy, designed to support employees in continuing their learning independently. We will continue to expand our portfolio with training content to meet the development needs of our employees.

Advancing Nedap talents

Within talent management, there was significant attention for succession planning. We aim for a well-balanced workforce by advancing internal candidates into leadership roles and attracting external candidates to bring in new ideas. In addition, we focus on organizational stability and business continuity. In 2024, we implemented a more data-driven approach to succession planning, identifying potential successors for 84% of our key positions. As part of the process, we conducted leadership potential assessments and estimated time-to-role. We focused specifically on increasing the proportion of women in leadership positions. We will use the insights from the succession planning process to help facilitate leadership progression.

Additionally, we developed a job family framework to support annual reviews and goal-setting discussions. The framework will be implemented in 2025 and will provide insight into advancement opportunities within Nedap, as well as the training and tools available to pursue those opportunities.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The introduction of our DEI vision and subsequent DEI policy in 2023 underlined Nedap's commitment to prioritizing DEI efforts. In 2024, we took the next steps by establishing a DEI core team comprised of a DEI lead and key market representatives dedicated to translating our policy into action. In parallel, we adopted DEI principles in our HR strategy and continued existing DEI programs.

The establishment of a core team is a significant step forward for Nedap. It fosters ownership and ensures the necessary time and resources to advance our DEI vision. The members of the core team are both ambassadors and catalysts who bring attention to DEI and inspire and facilitate action around DEI. They take on this role in addition to fulfilling their regular responsibilities. 

Focus on inclusion

The core team focuses on fostering a more inclusive work environment. We consider inclusion central to our DEI vision. In order to be inclusive, we must ensure workplace equity, and by being inclusive, we are able to attract and retain more diverse talent.

The job family framework is also expected to contribute to a more inclusive organization. By making it transparent what positions employees may be able to grow into and how, the framework creates a level playing field. 

In 2024, we followed up on the in-depth interviews held with 30 female employees in 2023 by conducting a survey among our entire female staff. The purpose of these assessments is to explore how we can better facilitate and support female leadership development. 176 women (approximately 60% of the women at Nedap) completed the Women Leadership Initiatives survey. The survey results provided valuable insights into the priorities and needs of women at Nedap. It also led to several recommendations regarding leadership programs and structural workplace improvements. We will use these insights to develop targeted actions in 2025. 

Leadership

Leadership is an essential element of an inclusive organization. In 2024, we made several procedural decisions aimed at enhancing gender diversity, not just within the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board, but also within senior management. As of 2024, gender diversity is a standard topic in annual leadership reviews. We also updated our hiring policy for senior management positions, requiring that the long list of candidates consists of 50% men and 50% women.

In addition, we have broadened our definition of leadership, which means our hiring policy will now apply to more leadership positions. This change also allows us to include a larger pool of employees in our succession planning, ensuring we consider gender diversity when selecting potential successors and actively support diverse talent in advancing into leadership roles.

Trainings and initiatives

We continued to offer DEI trainings, focused on three themes: unconscious bias, cultural intelligence and ambassadors for inclusion. In 2024, 75 employees participated in a DEI training. We also organized several initiatives around diversity and inclusion. In recognition of Pride Day, we invited employees to participate in a panel discussion. Two employees from the LGBTQIA+ community answered questions submitted anonymously by their colleagues during a Q&A session. Externally, we partnered with social enterprise AutiTalent, which employs individuals on the autism spectrum, to assist with the further digitalization of our HR files.

Employee engagement

We worked with an external partner to reimagine our approach to employee engagement surveys, involving the introduction of more frequent and shorter pulse surveys. These surveys have several benefits, such as making participation easier, encouraging higher response rates and providing ongoing insight into the employee experience. This enables us to identify issues early and respond proactively, contributing to an open culture in which people are comfortable sharing their opinions and feel heard.

In January 2025, we carried out our first engagement survey using this approach. The survey served as a baseline measurement, enabling us to track future progress and changes in engagement. In addition to comparing engagement over time, it also allows us to benchmark our performance against the top 25% of best-scoring technology companies globally. The survey had a 79% response rate and revealed an overall engagement score of 8.1, placing us around the top 10% of best-scoring technology companies worldwide. This reflects the high level of connection and motivation our employees feel toward our organization.