Making an impact

We firmly believe that by valuing the differences between our people, Clingendael becomes a more creative, innovative and impactful institute. Achieving gender equality, promoting diversity and fostering inclusivity are important objectives within Clingendael’s general policy. So we continuously strive for equal opportunities and an inclusive culture – where differences are being recognised and valued.

On 1 January 2023, Clingendael employed 107 people of 14 various nationalities; 9 being European and 5 non-European. Of all our employees, 52% is female and 48% is male. In management positions, 60% is female and 40% is male. Furthermore, we attracted an impressive response to our vacancies and internships this year, which resulted in a record number of 29 new hires for regular jobs and 30 (international) students completing their internships at Clingendael.

We primarily carry out our recruitment through Clingendael’s website, weekly newsletter and social media channels. In 2022, we also hosted a new edition of our digital open student day. Over 70 students worldwide registered for our digital Clingendael Meets Students event.

2022 was the first full year with our new health care provider, Cohesie. Their physical presence was delayed due to COVID-19 regulations during the first months of the year. In 2022, the sick rate was higher than our average, reaching 7,8%, which can be party attributed to COVID-19 in the first half of the year. In the second half, we observed a gradual decrease in this percentage.

Clingendael aims to create a safe and comfortable work environment for its employees. To achieve this goal, an external confidential counsellor has been available to our staff since 2018. In 2022, we received three complaints, and two in 2021. We sought advice of our confidential counsellor in addressing these cases. HR has collaborated closely with the persons involved and the board of directors to resolve the issues.

Young talented Clingendael researchers Maha Yassin, Adája Stoetman, Niels Drost and Xiaoxue Martin were featured in a special ’35 under 35’ edition of the JASON Institute magazine as this generation’s voice on peace and security issues.

Highlights

During the latter half of 2022, we introduced a mentor programme for the onboarding of new staff. The programme is designed to assist our new colleagues in navigating their roles and fostering connections. The programme comprises a minimum of six confidential sessions where the mentee can share first impressions, questions and other concerns with a mentor. We expect this programme to contribute to a (more) successful onboarding experience for our colleagues.

Clingendael attaches great importance to employee development and therefore offered several training opportunities for staff in 2022. To stimulate the open and inclusive culture Clingendael strives for, we conducted a feedback training for all staff, with around eighty employees attending. Additionally, we facilitated a successful writing skills course, which attracted fourty participants. As employee safety and security is of paramount importance for Clingendael, HR also regularly conducts safety and security trainings for our traveling staff. For instance, eight employees participated in a multi-day HEAT (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) course and six experts attended a refreshment training for security.

Looking ahead

Our plans for 2023 prioritise the (individual) development and wellbeing of our staff. To support this goal, we have scheduled a writing skills course for our new colleagues, as well as a follow-up edition for those who participated in this programme last year. Additionally, all recently appointed programme managers will receive management training to enhance their leadership skills. We will also carry out the mandatory Risk Inventory and Evaluation and focus on training a prevention officer to ensure a safe and secure work environment.