The Netherlands’ largest Human Resources (HR) software provider, Raet, announced that it will launch its first expansion outside the Netherlands by entering the UK market under the new international name Youforce. The name Youforce expresses Raet’s vision on ‘employee centric’ software solutions. Lee Grant has been appointed Vice President, International to lead the overseas expansion of Raet.
Speaking at Europe’s largest HR software event, the HR Tech Europe convention in Amsterdam, Raet CEO Cees van den Heijkant announced that the company intends to rapidly grow Youforce internationally, starting in the UK.
Youforce offers customers and their employees a full range of HR software solutions to attain valuable insights into their Human Capital Management (HCM) and drive corporate profits. Companies can now keep track of their worldwide resources. Thus, it’s possible for example to globally identify and develop talent. Built around an employee-centric model, Youforce’s solutions support organisations in their ambition to remain competitive, by ensuring that the development, quality and experience of their staff is in line with the strategic goals of the organisation.
The company’s cutting edge technology, based on ‘Software as a Service’ (SaaS), optimises HR processes such as talent management, succession planning, compensation and benefits, workforce planning, performance management and recruitment and makes them available anytime, anyplace, anywhere and on any device. Easy access and use via a web browser provides ’always on’ interaction, making the system more effective both for employees and managers looking for timely, accurate data on the performance of themselves as well as their staff. The Youforce platform give senior management the ability to assess and maximise their human capital, increasing clients ability to achieve business goals and empowering their employees to take control of their careers.
Raet was founded in the Netherlands in 1965 and was the first HR software company in the Netherlands to introduce a fully integrated HCM software suite for companies. Raet currently serves 12,500 companies with 1.7 million employees in the Netherlands with clients including government departments, multinational companies and SME’s and serving multiple sectors including healthcare, education and financial services.
Raet CEO, Cees van den Heijkant, said: “We see a worldwide trend in the increasing importance of HR within the corporate strategy of organisations. HR is evolving more and more towards true Human Capital Management, where successful knowledge and development of staff capability, workforce planning and talent management are translated to improved performance in organisations.”
“In this vision employees take the center stage. Raet’s solutions have grown with employees being the center of all activities, and compliance with regulations and employee requirements being core to our success. This is what we mean by employee centric. Many of our competitors have grown from a position of trying to drive company KPIs directly. We drive KPIs indirectly through successful management of the workforce, enabling maximization of our clients Human Capital. We are now ready to take our expertise and knowledge on to the international stage.”
Youforce’s entry into the UK market will be spearheaded by Lee Grant, Vice President, International for Raet and Youforce, who commented: “The UK is an advanced HR market which understands and highly values tools and approaches which drive corporate profits.
We believe the proven solutions and approaches we bring to the UK will offer substantial benefits for our clients. Cutting edge technology, mixed with a very strong stable market leading company, will allow us to consolidate a very fragmented market and bring significant business benefits to our clients.”
Grant has over twenty years of experience building IT companies all over the world. He was formerly a director at Alexander Mann Solutions, a specialist in Recruitment Process Outsourcing, and has held senior management positions at Symantec, MessageLabs, Dell and C&W.
