OR-ondersteuning

What OR-ondersteuning does

OR-ondersteuning is a Dutch professional services firm specializing in staffing, advisory and training for works councils (ondernemingsraden), client councils (cliëntenraden), participation councils (medezeggenschapsraden) and examination committees. Operating under the legal entity Divi Recruitment B.V. from Gouda, the company places ambtelijk secretarissen (official secretaries), adviseurs medezeggenschap (works council advisors), coaches, OR-trainers and notulisten (minute-takers) for clients in government, healthcare, education and transport. Service delivery is human-led rather than platform-led: the company maintains a curated network of approximately 50 specialized professionals and bundles placement with an in-house Expertiseteam covering legal, pension, financial, occupational health and job evaluation questions, plus complimentary replacement services during illness or leave.

The commercial model is quote-based professional services with monthly billing and annual CBS-indexed price adjustments. Revenue streams include staffing and recruitment (permanent, freelance and temporary placement), VASMO-certified training delivered through sister organization AS-Opleidingen, and content/community assets such as AS-Magazine and the Urencalculator interactive tool. On 1 January 2026 the firm transitioned from uitzendbureau (staffing agency) to zakelijke dienstverlening (business services), reflecting a structural shift away from temp-help economics. Marketing is sales-led via direct outreach and the company website, supported by AS-Magazine, email newsletters, Na-Tafel networking events, webinars and partnerships with NCZ (client council network) and LSR (training network). Customer anchors include the Ministry of Justice and Security's Bureau Ondersteuning Medezeggenschap (10+ year relationship), Defensie's Centrale Medezeggenschapscommissie (four-year assignment for two advisors), Radboudumc, SOVAK, GGD Hollands Noorden and Keolis.

The firm has been ABU-certified since 2016, holds professional liability insurance up to €2.5M per event / €5M annual aggregate, and operates under AVG/GDPR compliance. There is no external investment, parent company or public listing; ownership sits with Liza Arends, who acquired the business in 2011 from founder Marieke van Essen. Geographic scope is Netherlands-only, and the firm carries no proprietary technology platform, API or mobile application — its core IP is domain expertise, talent network and content (notably AI-literacy editorial aligned with the EU AI Act).

Name

OR-ondersteuning

Legal name

Divi Recruitment B.V.

Website

https://or-ondersteuning.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OR-ondersteuning is a Dutch professional services firm that places ambtelijk secretarissen, adviseurs medezeggenschap, coaches and notulisten to support works councils, client councils, participation councils and exam committees across government, healthcare, education and transport. It also runs VASMO-certified training via AS-Opleidingen and publishes AS-Magazine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Works Council Staffing & Advisory Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACACAH

Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Staffing & Temp Agencies (Generalist)

SECONDARYBPACAGAC

Contractor Onboarding, Vetting & Credentialing

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Contract Staffing & Independent Contractor Management

Keywords

• Works council staffing
• Professional placement
• Vocational training
• Meeting documentation
• Participation advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Gouda

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Staffing & Recruitment Services: Placement of works council advisors, clerical secretaries, coaches, and notetakers. Services include permanent placement, freelance/contractor placement, and temporary staffing to meet client demand for flexibility. Per January 1, 2026, the company transitioned from employment agency to business services model.
2. Training & Education Services: AS-opleidingen provides certified HBO and post-HBO vocational training for works council secretaries and works council advisors. Partnership with LSR for client council training. VASMO certified programs for works council professionals.
3. Vacancy Placement: Placement of vacancies on behalf of clients on their website and networks. Clients can post vacancies for works council positions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OR-ondersteuning is a Dutch specialist staffing and advisory firm that places experienced professionals — including ambtelijk secretarissen (official secretaries), works council advisors (adviseurs medezeggenschap), notulisten (minute-takers), coaches, and trainers — to support works councils (ondernemingsraden), client councils (cliëntenraden), participation councils (medezeggenschapsraden), and exam committees. The company also delivers VASMO-certified vocational training through its sister organization AS-Opleidingen and provides complementary services such as job description consulting, free expert-team advisory, and an online hours calculator.

Product overview

OR-ondersteuning is a professional staffing and recruitment service provider that has operated for over 20 years as the specialist for works council (ondernemingsraad), client council (cliëntenraad), and medezeggenschapsraad support. The company operates as azakelijke dienstverlening (business services) and ABU-certified uitzendbureau (staffing agency), offering placement of experienced professionals including ambtelijk secretarissen (official secretaries), adviseurs medezeggenschap (works council advisors), OR-trainers, coaches, and notulisten (minute-takers). The core product portfolio includes direct professional placement services, supported by complementary offerings: AS-Magazine (professional digital publication), AS-Opleidingen (VASMO-certified vocational training), the Urencalculator (interactive hours estimation tool), an Expertiseteam (external specialist network), and regular natafelen/webinar events. The company recently expanded into the healthcare sector with new FWG-certified function profiles including the Adviseur Medezeggenschap en Participatie role, reflecting professionalization of the medezeggenschap support industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adviseur Medezeggenschap (Works Council Advisor) Professional placement of adviseurs medezeggenschap who support and advise works councils, client councils, and participation councils on content, process, and strategy. Available as permanent, freelance, or temporary replacement.
• Ambtelijk Secretaris (Official Secretary) Placement of ambtelijk secretarissen — professional official secretaries providing organizational, administrative, and advisory support to ensure effective functioning of works councils, client councils, and participation councils across the Netherlands.
• Notuleerbureau (Minute-Taking Service) Bureau service providing trained notulisten (minute-takers) who capture meeting discussions, decisions, and action items for works councils, client councils, and participation councils, enabling members to focus on meeting content.
• OR-Trainer (Trainer Matching) Matching service operated via the OR-trainers.nu platform that connects organizations with qualified works council trainers and advisors for training and professional development programs.
• AS-Opleidingen (Vocational Training) VASMO-certified HBO and post-HBO vocational training programs for ambtelijk secretarissen and adviseurs medezeggenschap, offered through the sister organization AS-Opleidingen in partnership with LSR.
• Het Goede Gesprek (Coaching Service) Coaching and professional development service supporting personal growth and effective communication for works council members, secretaries, and advisors within medezeggenschap contexts.
• Cliëntenraad Ondersteuning (Client Council Support) Specialized support package for client councils (cliëntenraden) in healthcare organizations, delivered in partnership with NCZ (Netwerk Cliënt-en-Raad Zorg). Includes recruitment of clerical secretaries, temporary replacement, and external advisory services.
• Vacature Plaatsing (Vacancy Posting) Job posting and vacancy advertising service that publishes vacancies for works council positions on the OR-ondersteuning website and professional networks, reaching approximately 2,000 unique monthly visitors interested in the works council profession.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free replacement during illness, leave or other absence at no additional cost
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pallas AdvocatencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal expertise partnership providing works council advisors with access to Pallas Advocaten lawyers for all legal questions. Steven Jellinghaus and Maarten van Kempen serve as expert team members for legal matters including labor law and works council rights.
• Edmond Halley PensioenadviseurscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPension expertise partnership. Jaco Weeda from Edmond Halley Pensioenadviseurs is part of the expert team answering pension-related questions for works councils and professionals.
• Eprom OrganisatieadviescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for job descriptions, job families, and compensation systems. Ronald Borgts from Eprom provides expertise on function descriptions and salary systems. Eprom also collaborated on the large works council secretary research project.
• Tri-plus (Porto Franco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOccupational health expertise partnership. Porto Franco from Tri-plus is part of the expert team answering occupational health and safety related questions.
• VerandermotOR (Rob Latten)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial expertise partnership. Rob Latten from VerandermotOR is part of the expert team answering all financial questions for works council support.
• Joke van der ZandenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrustworthy person (confidential advisor) as part of the expert team for works councils and professionals.
• Netwerk Cliënt-en-Raad Zorg (NCZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for client council support in healthcare sector. OR-ondersteuning and NCZ have bundled their expertise to assist client councils in finding the right support and to help clerical secretaries find interesting assignments or positions.
• LSR (Landelijk Steunpunt Cliëntenraden)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partnership with LSR for clerical secretary training for client councils. AS-opleidingen and LSR jointly offer training programs. Michiel van Vliet from LSR takes on several modules for AS-opleidingen.
• AS-opleidingencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization of OR-ondersteuning offering certified HBO and post-HBO vocational training for works council secretaries and works council advisors. VASMO certified programs.
• OR-trainers.numinorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlatform for finding suitable works council trainers, advisors, or works council training for organizations.
• Performa UitgeverijminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizers of OR Live, the largest event for works councils in the Netherlands held at Fokker Terminal in The Hague. Collaboration for industry events and professional development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Visma Raet: Visma Raet provides HR, payroll and workforce management software and services to Dutch organizations, with content and advisory touching works councils and medezeggenschap — an adjacent emerging player that could expand into the support services space.

Broad incumbents

• USG People (RGF Staffing): USG People is a long-established Dutch staffing brand within RGF Staffing, offering both generalist and specialist placements across the Netherlands — a broad incumbent competing for similar mid-market and public-sector contracts.
• Tempo-Team (Randstad): Tempo-Team is a Dutch staffing brand under Randstad focused on administrative, secretarial and support roles — directly overlapping with OR-ondersteuning's ambtelijk secretaris and clerical placement core.
• Hays plc: Hays is a global professional staffing firm with a strong Netherlands presence focused on white-collar and specialist placements, comparable to OR-ondersteuning's mid-career, specialized placement model but at much larger scale.
• Randstad N.V. Randstad is the largest generalist staffing firm in the Netherlands and globally, with the scale, brand and enterprise contracts to bundle works council support into broader HR services offerings, representing the broad incumbent threat.
• Brunel International: Brunel is a Dutch-origin global specialist staffing firm focused on professionals in energy, engineering and public sectors, comparable in its niche-specialist placement approach and Dutch heritage.
• SD Worx: SD Worx is a European HR and payroll services provider with a strong Dutch presence, offering HR advisory and people-management services to mid-market and enterprise clients that also operate works councils.
• Michael Page (PageGroup): Michael Page is a global professional recruitment firm with significant Netherlands operations, competing for the same pool of mid-career, white-collar professionals that OR-ondersteuning targets in its advisor and secretarial placements.

Direct peers

• AWVN (Algemene Werkgeversvereniging Nederland): AWVN is the Dutch employers' association that advises member companies — including on works council matters, labor law and medezeggenschap — making it the closest direct peer in the works council advisory space, although it serves the employer rather than the council side.
• NCZ (Netwerk Cliënt-en-Raad Zorg): NCZ is OR-ondersteuning's named partner and a national network for client councils in the Dutch healthcare sector, with overlapping service scope in cliëntenraad support and similar target buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/or-ondersteuning

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 OR-ondersteuning