37.8% more applications with a future-proof platform

+11%

engagement

6,500

flexworkers

locations

Multi-sided marketplace

Staffing & flex

Actief Werkt! is building a digital platform together with Freshheads that strengthens their personal approach with technology. The platform speeds up their mediation processes and already delivers 37.8% more job applications.

Chat with Sepp

Do you have any questions, a challenge, or a good idea?

Email Sepp

Challenge

The new generation of flexible workers

The labor market is tighter than ever in 2025, recruitment costs are rising, and good recruiters are scarce. At the same time, the new generation of job seekers demands more autonomy, speed, and convenience. “Actief Werkt! saw opportunities in that change,” says Rens Alkemade, Business Strategist at Freshheads. “As an organization that has been active in the flexible staffing industry for more than 25 years, with 90 branches and over 6,500 flexible workers at work, they wanted to combine their personal approach with a digital experience that fits this era.” Their question to Freshheads: how do we build a digital foundation that accelerates, professionalizes, and prepares our services for the future?

“

With the new website we have a matching platform that truly works, for candidates, for recruiters and for ourselves.

- Marion de Graaf, Manager Marketing & Communication at Actief Werkt!

Solution

A solid foundation where people and technology come together

Together with Actief Werkt!, Freshheads designed and developed a new platform in which speed, simplicity and ease of use are key. “The first step was the realization of a completely renewed website that makes the human side of Actief Werkt! visible and gives candidates more control over their job hunt,” says Jaap van Turnhout, backend developer at Freshheads. Under the hood, we built a technical foundation that supports the growth ambition:

Backend in Node.js for maximum stability and performance, even with thousands of concurrent visitors.
Frontend in Next.js for instant loading times and a smooth user experience.
Deep integrations with internal systems, making sure everything comes from one place and recruiters benefit from all adjustments now and in the future.
Smart connections with Cockpit (ATS) and AFAS, so that vacancies, recruiters and candidate management are connected in real-time.
Elastic Search (OpenSearch) and the Google Places API to make the search function smarter and more relevant: candidates find vacancies that actually fit much faster.
CMS Sanity, with which the marketing and communication team autonomously manages, adjusts and expands content.

Process

Iterative building, continuous improvement

Instead of launching one big new platform, Freshheads and Actief Werkt! consciously chose an iterative approach. In short sprints we work together on concrete improvements that are immediately visible. Product owner Marion and Process manager Maurice from Actief Werkt! are part of the Freshheads team. This allows decisions to be made quickly and keeps the focus clear. Each sprint is followed by a demo in which the latest results are presented and tested. It is precisely this collaboration that characterizes the project: short lines of communication, mutual trust, a shared ambition to make a difference for users and the atmosphere is also great!

During the process, challenges also emerged. The integration with the legacy system proved to be a major undertaking due to deviating data flows. But with open communication and the principle of "solving it together", we remained flexible and kept quality first.

Result

More speed, higher conversion, and more control

The result is an environment where people and technology reinforce each other: recruiters can work faster, candidates find a suitable vacancy quicker, and the organization has a grip on data and growth.

“After the launch of the new website, the impact was quickly visible,” says Marion de Graaf, product owner at Actief Werkt!. “In the first months, the number of applications increased by 37.8%. The website loads faster, which noticeably improves the user experience for visitors as well as internal teams. Also, the number of sessions with engagement increased by 10.6%. Thanks to the technologies used, we now have a digital platform that grows with the ambitions of our organization.”

Next steps

The collaboration between Actief Werkt! and Freshheads is far from over. In the coming months, we will work together on the further development of the platform, with a focus on self-service. “Candidates will get more and more control over their data and applications, recruiters can switch faster, and the marketing team can independently add new components,” says Rens Alkemade. “We are also currently experimenting with the possibilities of an AI-recruiter."