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People may leave, but that doesn’t mean they always move on. That feeling of being a Xebian? Belonging to something bigger than a company and sharing culture and values is a feeling we hope remains with people forever.
At Xebia, we are very proud of what we’ve built; we put a lot of effort into establishing a culture of sharing knowledge and belonging, working hard, and playing hard. Some of our famous initiatives include the XKEs (Xebia Knowledge Exchange), team bonding trips and events (too many to list), meetups, group lunches, and many more…
We believe that people make a company, and it is essential to feel like pals, genuinely caring for each other’s well-being. Even when someone leaves Xebia to chase other adventures, they’re still in our minds. Our HR team put a lot of effort into staying in contact with Xebians who have departed, creating initiatives to celebrate their journeys and, in some cases, waiting to welcome them back with open arms.
Love Really Hurts Without You!
What better way to show our ex-Xebians we miss them than by making a cheesy mix tape, errr CD, for them? Okay, tapes and CDs might be slightly outdated, but the nostalgia remains. After all, it wasn’t a rough breakup. On the contrary, we are very proud of the alums who decided to part ways to chase their dreams and aspirations. As the saying goes, “If you love them, let them go.”
With this spirit, we rolled out the purple carpet (yes, purple!) at our Netherlands office for our exes. Picture this: a gospel choir, a fancy dinner, customized posters with their faces, a lip-dub performance from our leadership, fireworks, and even a party favor of a permanent contract. We celebrated our exes in true Xebian style at the Purple Alumni Event.
Baby Come Back
Just like the iconic 1977 Player song, Baby Come Back, Xebia would love to see our exes’ return. We’re proud to say this event reunited us with five of them.
Natascha Former joined Xebia at the age of 21 as an office manager, and three years later, she left to chase a "crazy little thing called love." Four years later, with the relationship over, Natascha rang, and Xebia asked her to return and rejoin the squad.
“I always knew I would come back. It was a tough decision for me to leave, but at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do,” said Natascha. When asked why she decided to come back, Natascha, with a smile on her face, said, “The freedom to act now, apologize later, the close relationships with my colleagues, the social aspect of the job, it was one of the easiest decisions of my life!”.
Sander Hoogenbosch, location manager at the Xebia Amsterdam office, worked at Xebia for five years before deciding to leave to chase his ambitions. Thirteen months and two jobs later, he returned to Xebia more determined and focused than ever.
“I had several Xebians text me while I was away to check up on me and to see how I was doing. That is something rare and unique. I thought there was nothing more loyal than a dog, but then I worked at Xebia!” Sander said, laughing. “Once you work at Xebia, it is hard to work anywhere else.”
Recruit Me Differently
After the success of the Alumni Event, or “Love Really Hurts Without You!” our HR team was nominated for an award and invited to speak at several events, all focused on outstanding employer branding and recruiting strategies!
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Employee Experience Event, November 9th in Utrecht
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Employer Branding Summit, November 14th in Haarlem
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Anders Werven in 2024 on November 16th in Rotterdam
The Alumni Event was so popular in real life and on social media that it quickly became a Xebia tradition. So stay tuned for the upcoming year, and if you are an ex-Xebian, get ready to feel our love again.