“At Eraneos we are always working on improving quality: how can we make it better and more fun for everyone.”

Meet HR Manager Youandi

If there is anyone who knows all the ins and outs of Eraneos, it is Youandi Hoogerbrugge. “I started at Eraneos, formerly Quint, as a receptionist,” Youandi says with a laugh. “Then someone got sick in the back office, and I took over”. Later a position became available at HR and Youandi, with the experience she had from previous employers, rolled into it. Sixteen years later, she is still there.

Youandi her career started in youth care. “I always wanted to do something to help people,” Youandi explains, “First I wanted to do something with development work, then a sports teacher for the deaf and visually impaired and finally I work as a social pedagogical employee”. She noticed that the way people were treated in this sector led to frustration. “I ran into too many walls and thought ‘this could be better’, so I decided to continue my studies, so that I could really change something at a policy level”. She went on to study Sociology in the direction of Labor, Organization and Policy in Amsterdam.

To get more commercial experience on her resume, Youandi has worked at a bank and an architectural firm. “From my role as Office Manager, I also got HR in my portfolio”. In the meantime, Youandi also traveled, and when she came back to the Netherlands she did various temporary work, which is why she got to know Quint at the time. She joined the organization in 2006.

People person

When Youandi started there were 45 consultants, and she was the only one in the HR department. “Now we are an organization employing more than 1,000 people in various countries, and we have a full-fledged HR and recruitment department in the Netherlands.” Youandi mainly focuses on the organizational side of HR. “I am mainly concerned with how strategy and policy within Eraneos affect our people”, Youandi explains, “I look at how we can combine the different interests within the organization with happiness at work as a starting point”. Youandi and the HR team do this well, as Eraneos is a Great Place to Work®. 

A culture of companionship

One of the things Youandi is most proud of is that HR has made a major contribution to what the work culture is like. “We are always people-oriented, in the way we think, act, and are,” Youandi smiles, “Even though Eraneos is a commercial company, we put people at the center of everything we do.” Because there is a certain policy and people compliment each other and give feedback, there is a culture of camaraderie. This is reflected in the way our people treat each other. “We always look at what is best for the person. Whether it’s about professional ambitions, personal problems, or something completely different, our openness makes everything negotiable,” Youandi explains, “This is not only in HR, but this can be felt throughout the organization”. 

Eraneos is a company of thinking in possibilities. “A lot is always possible and allowed at Eraneos”, Youandi says, “If someone provides input, it is really looked at regardless of someone’s position within the organization”. Eraneos is a flat organization, which means that the lines are short and there is a lot of mutual trust, “so people feel the freedom to do things their own way”.

Back to basic

Youandi lives with her husband, three children, and two cats in Utrecht. “We live close to the woods, and I am very happy about that,” Youandi mentions, “I really like nature and being outdoors”. In the summer she likes to visit the mountains, which are missing in the Dutch landscape. “I love camping, back to basics”. Youandi recently visited beautiful France. 

Youandi does not like to sit still and can regularly be found at a boot camp. She is also a lover of photography, art and dance. “So, I thought corona was terrible,” Youandi sighs, “Visiting a museum was not an option, and it was suddenly very busy in the woods”. Youandi has since visited many museums.