we believe in

Open, involved and putting people first. Our logo symbolises our principles and ambitions. Whether we are dealing with flex workers or our own personnel, we aim to bring out the best in everyone - everyday, throughout their career. Our clients trust us to provide services that go beyond the ordinary and count on our continuous commitment.

The result of our efforts is a successful balance between meeting our clients' objectives and stimulating candidates to achieve their own personal ambitions. In this way, we set an example to the corporate sector and society at large. Our logo symbolises these principles.

HR policy
Our success as an organization is mainly determined by the dedication, creativity, involvement and entrepreneurial spirit of our employees. That is why the cornerstone of our HR policy is the ambition to develop employees' talents, both in their current jobs and in their future careers. We fi mly believe that this is the way to create the right conditions for people to make a long-term commitment to the organization.

We offer talented employees opportunities to grow within the organization by:
       •   Getting the maximum out of our people.
       •   Embedding knowledge and culture within the organization.
       •   Developing ‘own talent' to fill key positions.

Lifelong learning
We consider it our duty as an organization to give our employees the best of ourselves and so stimulate them to get the best out of themselves. For example, new employees start off with a short introduction course which not only gives an overall idea of who we are, but also provides a platform for getting to know one another throughout the organization and so make it easier to exchange best practices later on.
USG People also offers its employees an extensive package of training courses based on the blended learning method. This is a combination of classroom instruction, on-the-job learning and e-learning and includes e-campus, USG People's electronic learning environment. Following a successful pilot period, the e-campus was implemented at all our Dutch operating companies in 2007.

Management development
One of the pillars of our HR policy is the development of own talent to fill key positions. Our extensive management development programme is central to this. Forty-two Dutch managers took part in the programme during 2007.
In 2006 the programme was expanded with a Strategic Course for USG People's senior managers in the Netherlands; this was rolled out to senior management in the other countries in 2007. In total, 156 managers from all over Europe followed one or more Strategic Course modules during 2007.

High-potential staff
Today's employee is tomorrow's manager, which is why we make sure that we always have a clear and accurate picture of people with high potential within the organization. These are employees who stand out because of their quick development, creativity and pro-activity, and who have leadership potential as well as the ambition to take responsibility for a team or part of the business in the future. We back high-potential staff with personal and professional support and appropriate rewards. Many USG People managers grew into their current position in this way. Three out of every four key positions at USG People are held by people from our own ranks.

Exchange
Within the group we aim for a maximum sharing of expertise. We do this by bringing people together and optimizing information flows. Each year the full management of all operating companies meet during an international management meeting. The agenda sets out strategic lines, while participants exchange ideas relating to the shared vision.
We also regularly organize international knowledge-sharing workshops with colleagues from various operating companies and a range of positions. In addition to sharing operational information, the gatherings feature briefings on new concepts and developments in the staffing markets. We also brainstorm on technological advances, innovative projects, new recruiting channels, sales support campaigns and market trends. Besides passing on information, this also creates synergetic effects.

Synergy
In countries where two or more of our brands operate, these operating companies use the services of the country's shared back office organization for finance, ICT, management information as well as legal and facilities. This powerful operation enables lower costs and greater efficiency. These shared service centers mainly have a supporting and initiating role.
USG People has also made a strategic decision to boost cooperation with major European clients. In this respect, the corporate accounts department acts as commercial knowledge center, and plays a central role in drafting cooperative agreements. Multidisciplinary corporate account teams are formed for all new key accounts. These teams include specialists covering all relevant areas. The approach ensures flexible implementation of contracts for the client, plus systematic supervision of day-to-day matters and regular evaluation of the service level agreements.

Innovation
Innovation is a strategic priority at USG People and heads the agenda of all personnel. We constantly seek new concepts, better processes, new recruitment channels an innovative sales support campaigns.
The annual USG People Innovation Award makes a significant contribution to this aspiration. The award is granted to innovative concepts which must be operational for at least three months and clearly demonstrate that it can yield a competitive advantage with the potential to contribute to sustainable, profitable growth. It must also be suitable for implementation by other operating companies of the group. This approach is designed to lever the creativity of our personnel while stimulating innovation and enabling growth.