“To live in a society where everyone is well off. That is the goal of Michal van Dantzig, a woman with entrepreneurial spirit and knowledge of the labor market. The goal before her in the way she shapes her life and work.

That she wants to do something for society has always been a driving force for Van Dantzig. This is particularly evident in her company WinWinWerkt.nl, where she matches talent with job openings. Een van de projecten van dit recruitment-serviceplatform is de ‘Talenten Etalage’, een dienstverlening van WinWinWerkt aan werkzoekenden die bij het bedrijf staan ingeschreven. Job seekers create an anonymous profile here to which employers can then respond. ‘Anonymous applications can help employers avoid biases, which, after all, everyone has, within their hiring process,’ she explains. The format proved eminently suitable for people who had difficulty finding work because of a disability.she explains. The project also allowed recruitment agencies to broaden their networks of potential employers. ‘De Talenten Etalage is echt waar mijn passie ligt. Het is uniek en pakt de re-integratie van mensen met een arbeidsbeperking aan. Met dit project deed ik maatschappelijk iets betekenisvol.’ Met haar bedrijf bemiddelt ze nu met het project 65plus Werkt ook gepensioneerden naar flexibele- en parttimebanen.

For Van Dantzig, finding a good match between job seekers and vacancies is central to WinWinWerkt. Mensen aan een baan koppelen die goed bij hen past, betekent gemotiveerde medewerkers, wat ook voor de werkgever profijtelijk is.

Ideally, Michal van Dantzig contributes at the structural level. As a board member of MKB-Amsterdam, she can really make a positive social contribution. In this board position, she focuses on the labor market in Greater Amsterdam. Van Dantzig does not think it is necessarily the duty of entrepreneurs to solve problems in society. A company’s social duty, she believes, is precisely its own survival as well as the jobs it creates. She believes that in this time of economic and health crises, SMEs cannot be expected to subordinate their own profitability. Van Dantzig: ‘Employers have a lot on their minds. They do their best to stay positive, but especially in the hard-hit sectors this is a difficult task.’ From this perspective, then, she is somewhat wary of government measures that try to regulate corporate hiring. But even though the business case is front and center, most SME employers are eager to make a difference and contribute to society. But even though the business case is front and center, most SME employers are eager to make a difference and contribute to society. SMEs, she believes, should therefore be supported and helped.

“An inclusive corporate culture benefits everyone, the employer first and foremost.”

SMEs are still little seen in initiatives to make the labor market more diverse and inclusive. Van Dantzig is a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion in the workplace: “An inclusive corporate culture benefits everyone, the employer first and foremost. There is rightly a lot of focus on combating discrimination when hiring a new employee or intern. The foundation has to be right. And if it’s right on the shop floor, then there’s no problem with the hiring policy either. That is my conviction. Questions such as “does that person fit?” will then be less relevant. The way a company handles bullying and employment discrimination, for example, is then also a lot more objectively verifiable, she says. Van Dantzig: ‘You need as a company, especially as an SME, to have someone who really contributes something to what you care about. It’s up to recruitment agencies, other organizations and the candidates to show that they have the qualities the employer needs!’

Van Dantzig: ‘You need as a company, especially as an SME, to have someone who really contributes something to what you care about. It’s up to recruitment agencies, other organizations and the candidates to show that they have the qualities the employer needs!’ Go to a sheltered employment agency or a social company that helps people well, can make a good match, and also assist employers should there be a problem with the employee.

All of this, according to Michal van Dantzig, revolves around good will and creativity; in her opinion, exactly those qualities that characterize Amsterdam.

Want to know more? With questions about a diverse and inclusive workplace, you can always contact Amsterdam – Diverse & Inclusive. Contact Michal van Dantzig through her LinkedIn account. Both Van Dantzig and ADI will speak on the Amsterdam City Council’s live broadcast “Inclusive labor market Amsterdam: what are the challenges and what does the future look like?” for which you can register here.

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