SKB

What SKB does

SKB (legal name: SKB BV) is a privately held Dutch research and advisory firm founded in 1990, headquartered in Amsterdam-Duivendrecht. The company specializes in scientifically validated employee research, with its core product being the VBBA (Vragenlijst Beleving en Beoordeling van de Arbeid) - the most widely used and best-validated questionnaire in the Netherlands for measuring employee satisfaction, engagement, workload (PSA), health, and sustainable employability. The most recent version, VBBA 2.1, was updated with new themes including meaningful work, team functioning, pride, and work happiness.

The platform is built around this questionnaire core, supplemented by proprietary improvement tools: TeamUP (an interactive team-level action-planning tool), Pulse (a self-service survey platform), and the Personal Advice Report (individual-level feedback). Research applications built on VBBA include Medewerkerstevredenheidsonderzoek (MTO), Werkdrukonderzoek (PSA), Risicoinventarisatie en Evaluatie (RIE), Gezondheidsonderzoek (PMO/PAGO), Werkvermogenonderzoek (WAI), Exit research, Werkgeluk research, and the BRAVO lifestyle questionnaire. Technology validation is anchored in academic partnerships with TNO and the University of Tilburg, and SKB holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification, a Blik op Werk positive assessment for WAI methodology, and the MOA/Fair Data quality mark.

SKB operates a sales-led GTM with a quote-based subscription/project pricing model, often structured as multi-year contracts, plus professional services for advisory and implementation. The company has roughly 15 team members and serves a broadly diversified Dutch client base across verticals - government municipalities (Gemeente Zevenaar, Gemeente Doetinchem), healthcare (Isala, Catharina, Amerpoort, Arkin), insurance/financial services (Aegon), industry (Niacet, A+O Metalektro), and education (Deltion College) - leveraging a channel network of arbodiensten, advisory firms, and independent HR/OHS professionals in addition to direct sales.

Name

SKB

Legal name

SKB BV

Website

https://skb.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SKB is a Dutch research and advisory firm founded in 1990 that provides scientifically validated employee research (anchored on the VBBA questionnaire), improvement tools (TeamUP, Pulse, Personal Advice Report), and occupational health compliance work to Dutch organizations across government, healthcare, industry, and education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employee Research and Workforce Analytics Consulting

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHALAE

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom)

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Research, Analytics & Expert Services

Keywords

• Employee engagement surveys
• Workforce research consulting
• Psychosocial risk assessment
• Occupational health surveys
• Employee satisfaction research

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Employee Research Services: SKB generates revenue through providing comprehensive employee research services including Medewerkerstevredenheidsonderzoek (MTO), Werkdrukonderzoek (PSA), Risicoinventarisatie en evaluatie (RIE), Gezondheidsonderzoek (PMO/PAGO), and Pulse surveys. Services include validated questionnaires, analysis, reporting, and improvement tools.
2. Consulting and Advisory Services: Professional services including advice on survey implementation, result interpretation, and improvement trajectory design. Often leads to long-term collaborations with clients.
3. Software/Platform Access: Revenue from providing access to their proprietary tools including TeamUP dashboard and Pulse survey platform, typically bundled with research services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SKB is a Dutch research and advisory firm that conducts scientifically validated employee research using its proprietary VBBA questionnaire and complementary platforms (TeamUP, Pulse, Persoonlijk Adviesrapport). It delivers employee satisfaction surveys (MTO), workload/psychosocial risk research (PSA), risk inventories (RIE), preventive medical examinations (PMO/PAGO), work ability research (WAI), exit surveys, and lifestyle questionnaires to organizations across government, healthcare, education, and industry sectors.

Product overview

SKB offers a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on the validated VBBA 2.1 questionnaire — the most widely used and best-validated employee survey instrument in the Netherlands — supplemented by three proprietary improvement tools: TeamUP (interactive team-level improvement tool), Pulse (self-service survey platform for continuous research), and Persoonlijk Adviesrapport (personalized advice report for individual employees). Research applications built on the VBBA core include Medewerkerstevredenheidsonderzoek (MTO), Werkdrukonderzoek (PSA), Risicoinventarisatie en Evaluatie (RIE), Gezondheidsonderzoek (PMO/PAGO), Werkvermogenonderzoek (WAI), Exitonderzoek, Werkgeluk onderzoek, and BRAVO leefstijl. The improvement tools enable action at individual, team, and organizational levels, with TeamUP and Pulse serving as the front-end platforms for survey processing and report generation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VBBA 2.1 (Vragenlijst Beleving en Beoordeling van de Arbeid) The most widely used and best-validated questionnaire in the Netherlands for work experience research, used by organizations to measure employee satisfaction, engagement, motivation, organizational climate, psychosocial work stress (PSA), and mental health. Approved by the Dutch Labour Inspectorate.
• Medewerkerstevredenheidsonderzoek (MTO) - Employee Satisfaction Survey Employee satisfaction survey measuring satisfaction, stress levels, energy from work, and proactive behavior (engagement), using the VBBA questionnaire with proven predictive value for absenteeism, burnout, performance, and turnover.
• Werkdrukonderzoek (PSA) - Psychosocial Workload Research Work pressure research mapping both stress drivers (psychosocial workload) and factors that reduce stress, using VBBA and meeting quality requirements of the Dutch Labour Inspectorate.
• Risicoinventarisatie en Evaluatie (RIE) - Risk Inventory and Evaluation Risk inventory and evaluation questionnaire examining all general labour risks and health/wellbeing aspects in an organization, fulfilling legal obligations under the Dutch Arbowet (Working Conditions Act).
• Gezondheidsonderzoek (PMO/PAGO) - Preventive Medical Examination Preventive medical examination questionnaire mapping employee health and lifestyle to prevent absenteeism and dropout, meeting requirements of the Arbowet, often conducted in collaboration with occupational health services.
• Werkvermogenonderzoek (WAI) - Work Ability Research Work ability research combining the Work Ability Index (WAI) with VBBA to predict sustainable employability, providing a personal score and analysis of both physical and mental work ability.
• Exitonderzoek - Exit Survey Exit survey providing insight into reasons for employee departure to prevent unwanted turnover, conducted via Pulse Tool with anonymous responses and annual reporting.
• Werkgeluk onderzoek - Work Happiness Research Work happiness survey measuring wellbeing through VBBA 2.1, covering autonomy, meaningful work, development opportunities, relational factors, and work-life balance.
• BRAVO (Leefstijl) lifestyle questionnaire Lifestyle questionnaire covering BRAVO factors (Bewegen/Exercise, Roken/Smoking, Alcohol, Voeding/Food, Ontspanning/Relaxation) to promote healthy habits and provide insights into employee health and energy.
• TeamUP - Interactive Improvement Tool Interactive improvement tool that enables teams and management to work with employee survey results, scroll through findings, select improvement topics, and automatically generate action plans with suggested measures.
• Pulse onderzoek - Self-Service Survey Tool Self-service survey tool allowing all organizational stakeholders to independently conduct short surveys without SKB involvement, suitable for team research, brainstorming, theme checks, monitoring, and exit surveys. Fully AVG (GDPR) compliant.
• Persoonlijk Adviesrapport - Personal Advice Report Individual improvement tool providing employees with a personal report containing actionable advice and tips immediately after completing the questionnaire, covering lifestyle, health, satisfaction, or sustainable employability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Response rates of 65-80% achieved within 3-week survey periods
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blik op WerkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlik op Werk is the license holder for WAI (Work Ability Index) in the Netherlands and audits organizations working with WAI. SKB was positively assessed in their audit, noted for sharp quality controls, critical quality perspective, adherence to WAI rules, and extensive control on result delivery. SKB is authorized to use WAI methodology for sustainable employability research.
• TNOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) collaborated on VBBA validation. TNO researchers confirmed VBBA's excellent reliability of 0.87 (Cronbach's alfa) in Netherlands and 0.89 in Flanders. TNO conducted validation studies showing VBBA's predictive value for various outcomes.
• Werk&MantelzorgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKB developed a short questionnaire on work and caregiving in close collaboration with Werk&Mantelzorg. The survey provides insights into the number of caregivers, how well work can be combined with caregiving, and whether employees feel supported by supervisors and colleagues. Results can be compared with Werk&Mantelzorg's benchmark from 29,000 respondents.
• Prof. dr. Marc van Veldhoven and Prof. dr. Theo MeijmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal developers of VBBA questionnaire in 1994. Prof. dr. Marc van Veldhoven and prof. dr. Theo Meijman developed the first version which was initially used primarily in health research (PMO), workload research, and risk management (RIE). The questionnaire has been continuously improved since then.
• Data & Insights Network (formerly MOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKB is a member of Data & Insights Network (branch association for research and data analytics). As a member, SKB confirms adherence to the Code of Conduct for Statistical Research. Also holds MOA / Fair Data quality mark for responsible handling of personal data.
• Occupational Health Services (arbodiensten)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSKB works closely with occupational health services, advisory firms, and independent professionals who guide employers and employees in sustainable employability and healthy work. SKB provides validated questionnaires and improvement tools that these partners use to offer comprehensive and reliable employee research to organizations.
• University of TilburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerValidation research conducted including doctoral research at University of Tilburg confirming VBBA's predictive value. Also involved in Maastricht Cohort Study for long-term scientific research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercer: Mercer is a global HR and employee research consulting firm with employee engagement surveys, health & benefits research, and workforce analytics. It overlaps with SKB in providing survey-driven employee research to enterprises but operates as a broad HR consultancy rather than a Dutch specialist.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): WTW provides global employee experience surveys, benefits research, and HR analytics. Comparable to SKB in offering validated employee research tools, but with vastly broader consulting portfolio and international reach, particularly for multinational employers.
• Gallup: Gallup is the global leader in employee engagement research with widely adopted Q12 and CliftonStrengths instruments. Comparable to SKB in offering scientifically validated employee survey and benchmarking, but at vastly larger global scale and with broader portfolio (consulting, leadership, analytics).
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm offering employee surveys, engagement research, and talent assessments. Comparable to SKB in the employee research and organizational diagnostics domain, but operating as a broad incumbent across executive search, RPO, and consulting.
• Kantar: Kantar is a global research and insights firm with employee experience research, panel-based surveys, and benchmarking. Comparable to SKB in the design, validation, and large-scale analysis of employee-facing research instruments, but operating at a much larger scale across multiple research domains.

Others

• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): TNO is SKB's scientific validation partner and conducted the original VBBA reliability studies (Cronbach's alpha 0.87 NL, 0.89 Flanders). It is an applied research organization rather than a commercial competitor, but is a relevant peer in the sense that it shapes the underlying scientific standards SKB's products must meet.
• Aon (Human Capital): Aon's Human Capital practice offers employee surveys, engagement analytics, and workforce research alongside broader risk and benefits consulting. It overlaps with SKB in employee research methodology and enterprise client base, but is a global incumbent rather than a Dutch specialist.

Direct peers

• Effectory: Effectory is a Netherlands-based employee listening and survey firm offering similar services (MTO, engagement research, benchmarking) to Dutch and European organizations. It is the most direct competitor to SKB given the shared geography, customer profile (Dutch enterprises and government), and core employee-survey offering.

Emerging players

• Great Place to Work Institute: Great Place to Work runs global employee survey research and certification programs using Trust Index and culture audits. Comparable to SKB in producing employee experience surveys and benchmarks, but its primary monetization is certification and employer branding rather than advisory-driven research.

Regional players

• I&O Research: I&O Research is a Dutch research firm focused on employee research, societal studies, and policy evaluation. It directly overlaps with SKB in the Dutch employee research market and shares similar customers (government, healthcare, semi-public sectors), but with a broader research portfolio beyond HR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skb_2

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SKB