When I started working in digital transformation, everything centred on technology for me. Working more efficiently, improving processes, helping organisations grow. New tools and new ways of collaborating were the focus.
But the longer I work in this sector, the clearer it becomes: real progress isn't just about systems. It's about people. About energy. About wellbeing. And about the impact you have as a company on the world around you.
Over the past year, that question kept coming back to us:
If we help organisations change, how do we make sure we make a positive impact ourselves too?
Not just for our clients. But also for our colleagues, our community and society.
CSR sometimes starts with a question
Corporate social responsibility sometimes sounds as if you need a big strategic plan straight away. Sustainability reports, targets up to 2030, the whole package.
For us, it started much more simply. One colleague took the initiative and sent out an email asking who wanted to help, and that's how the CSR working group was born!
We put a collection box for used batteries in the office. No big announcement. No communications campaign. It was simply needed.
That moment actually sums up how we approach this: small, concrete actions that people carry themselves. No big words. Just doing it. And there are a few more examples of activities we do, so here's a short and honest overview!
Transformation takes energy. Yours, and your team's.
In our sector, everything moves fast. Projects follow one another, change is constant, and before you know it you just keep going. That's why last year we deliberately paid attention to rest, resilience and sleep.
Not some "woolly" concept. But practical: how do you make sure people have the space to do good work? How do you keep yourself and your team from burning out? We organised practical sessions with the team.
After one of those sessions, a colleague said: "I thought I was just a bad sleeper. But actually, I never take proper breaks."
That's what it's about. Technology changes organisations, but people make that change possible. Taking care of those people is crucial.
Looking after each other can also be something practical
Another initiative that got a lot of positive reactions was the first aid training.
Not because we expect something to go wrong every day. But because it feels good to know you can help when it's needed.
The training itself was typical Harmony: serious in content, but with room for humour and real conversations.
Impact beyond our own doors
What perhaps made the biggest impression were the actions outside our own organisation.
We often donate to various organisations. But the Christmas collection for food banks in the Netherlands and Bosnia and for Sint-Vincentius in Belgium always stirs up a lot. Every year we fill several boxes at the office.
Colleagues don't just bring things along. They choose deliberately. They do some extra shopping for "the box". Some colleagues tell us why they want to contribute. About difficult periods. About how close to home vulnerability can be.
At that moment, it doesn't feel like a "company initiative". It felt like something we did together.
Not everything comes naturally
Not every action drew many participants straight away. Sometimes we had to send extra reminders. Sometimes we wondered whether we were going about it the right way.
Even when things don't go as hoped, we can learn something from it. To stay true to ourselves, for example. Because corporate social responsibility only works if it's sincere. Not because it looks good on LinkedIn, but because it fits who you are as an organisation.
So we often keep it simple. Start small. Listen. Adjust.
Actually, that's exactly how we approach digital transformations too.
Why this says a lot about how we work
What I personally like most is that these initiatives don't feel imposed from above.
They grow out of conversations. Ideas from colleagues. Small suggestions that grow because people get energy from them themselves.
That no-nonsense mentality suits our sector too. We believe in trying, learning and improving. Not waiting for the perfect plan, but starting and getting better along the way.
And maybe that's the most important lesson of the past year: you don't change culture with big words.
You build culture with small, consistent actions.
Where we want to go
With our CSR working group, we're still at the beginning. That's okay.
CSR isn't a project with an end date. It's a way of working. A way of looking at what your responsibility is.
We want to keep investing in wellbeing, sustainability and social impact. Not because it's on a checklist, but because we sincerely think it matters.
Digital progress is powerful. Digital progress with attention for people, that's where we want to go.
