Lisa Raaijmakers
From job security to value certainty with digital accelerators
Platformization
Temp & flex
Oct 3, 2025
“Nowadays, employees are not looking for job security anymore,” said our labor market strategist Sepp Haans during his masterclass at the HR Day of Sijthoff. “They want to be sure that they are adding value by using their skills. The assurance that they are and will remain relevant.” How do you deal with this as an HR professional?
The New Certainty
Recruiting, engaging, and retaining people is increasingly about offering value certainty. “A permanent contract, or job security, is no longer always a binding factor,” says Sepp. “When employees see that they can be of visibly greater value elsewhere, they are more often choosing to make the switch.”
At the same time, new tools, roles, and business models are changing the fixed form of permanent positions. Sepp: “Organizations must ensure that employees can thrive as much as possible in their changing roles. They facilitate value certainty by empowering employees. And organizations that achieve this well, win. It just requires a different HR approach: one that looks less at diplomas and experience and more at skills and potential.”
“The biggest challenge for organizations is not retaining employees, but retaining their value.” - Sepp Haans, Freshheads
Digital Technology as Accelerator
Digital solutions can help organizations create value certainty. Sepp mentioned several examples in his masterclass: “With, for example, skill-based matching, AI-supported assessments, and learning platforms, HR can map out and develop existing skills where needed. This creates a data-driven picture of value.” Other tools that help make development visible:
Skill maps show what knowledge is present in the organization and where gaps exist.
Learning Experience Platforms (LXP’s) provide employees with personalized learning paths.
Dashboards that link skills to, for example, performance and engagement.
By smart integration of technology into the employee journey, value certainty becomes a measurable KPI.
From HR to Strategic Compass
HR departments have an opportunity here to take strategic direction. Not by embracing every new tool or platform directly, but by choosing technology that truly contributes to organizational goals. “It is important to choose tools based on your KPIs,” said Sepp. “With a well-structured digital ecosystem, you can make value certainty visible and concrete. It helps HR steer on growth, engagement, and future sustainability. This creates an organization where certainty no longer means: I continue working here, but: I continue growing here.”