Our social impact in 2023

Cooperation with Digital for Youth 

In 2023, we donated 325,000 euros to Digital for Youth. And several colleagues used their competences to help the organisation. Our contribution allowed Digital for Youth to support 96 youth organisations in 63 communes in Belgium and boosted the digital skills of 13,292 young people. Read more about their impact in the 2023 Impact Report.

DigitAll  

DNS Belgium is active in the DigitAll ecosystem, a coalition of companies, civil society organisations and government bodies working together towards more digital inclusion in Belgium. Towards the end of 2021, we signed the Digital Inclusion Charter and undertook to work toward nine commitments to close the digital divide. In 2023, we will continue to support this mission by helping to promote the Digital Inclusion by Design Index. We published articles on our site and gave lectures (e.g. at the SDG forum in November 2023).  

Mobile Schools  

In cooperation with the NGO Mobile Schools we offered technical support for their learning platform. One of our engineers helped one day a month over the course of several months to iron out a number of technical challenges. Our expertise has made the platform more future-proof and better prepared for its educational goals. 

2. Cyber security and prevention 

Cyber security is an essential component of our sustainability strategy. In 2023, we launched several initiatives to raise the awareness about cyber security of various target groups: 

For children and youngsters: 

• De Schaal van M: In cooperation with Ketnet, Link in de Kabel, JEF and Mediawijs we added a cyber security component to the search for Flanders most media-savvy class. The children had to come up security tips for their environment and make a video report. We received several very good and inventive entries.  

For students: 

• Cybersecurity Challenge: We developed challenges for the Cybersecurity Challenge and the CTF U Hasselt. Students competing in the Cybersecurity Challenge had to make a risk assessment for a nameserver on the moon. 
• Together with IBM we organised a hackathon. The product and service design students of the university of Namur had to come up with new ideas for cyber security campaigns for young people.  

For secondary school students: 

• Edubox Cybersecurity: Edubox Cybersecurity was launched in cooperation with various partners and it is the first Edubox to have been developed in French as well. 
• Influencers: We launched a major online campaign in 2023 in cooperation with various influencers on social media. 

For elderly people: 

• Phishing prevention: In cooperation with several civil society organisations we made a flyer with tips against phishing.  
• We organised lectures and training about cyber security and prevention in cooperation with the Cyber Security Coalition. 

Partnerships: 

Our cyber security initiatives were made possible by collaborations with partners such as VRT, RTBF, the Cyber Security Coalition, Brightlab, RVO society, Namur University, the Cyber Security Center for Belgium, Mediawijs, DigitAll and Digital for Youth 

Web archiving of .be thesis  

We supervised a modern history student who was writing a thesis on the history of the Belgian internet, with a focus on web archiving and the impact of .be-domain names. 

Accessible internet  

For us, digital inclusion also means that our website is accessible to the widest audience possible to ensure everyone has access to their own space on the internet. We aim to use plain language and make our site completely WCAG 2.1 AA compliant. In doing so, DNS Belgium wants to set a good example in terms of accessibility and user-friendliness. In 2023, we renewed our Anysurfer label and obtained the WCAG 2.1AA label.  

We also believe that digital inclusion means that domain names need to be affordable to everyone. This is why we are offering our domain names at low prices  and communicate transparently about our rates. Our aim is to keep our prices at a comparable level to our neighbouring countries.  

3. HR policy 

Our recruitment policy is aimed at focusing exclusively on the competences and skills of applicants, regardless of background, age, faith, origin, or sex. We aim to create a diverse and inclusive working environment by selecting potential employees based on their suitability for the job, and ensure a fair and neutral approach. In 2023 we did not post any vacancies on job sites aimed specifically at people with a migration background, the reason being that in previous years no applications came through these channels.  

In 2023, we drew up a guide for our employees outlining ethical and sustainable behaviour. The aim of this guide is to show our employees what our organisation's objectives and values signify for the performance of their tasks, making decisions, or dealing with customers, stakeholders or colleagues. In addition, we also expect third parties (e.g. suppliers or subcontractors) acting on behalf of DNS to respect the principles of this guide. In certain areas, DNS wants to go further than what is strictly required by law. The principles integrated in this guide are therefore the starting points that determine every decision or action taken by DNS and its employees. The principles are "DNS Belgium's DNA" as it were... The guide constitutes the basis of a strong corporate culture that pursues the highest standards of respect, integrity and ethical behaviour. 

Payroll policy  

Joint Collective Agreement Committee 335 has no collective bargaining agreement. CAO90 determines the conditions for non-recurrent result-based benefits.  

DNS Belgium uses the Hay job classification system to assess and value jobs fairly. All jobs are broken down into job categories, i.e. Hay 14 to 22. In 2023, we did not assign any new jobs in a different Hay grade. However, we did identify positions which in 2024 may be assigned to a different grade. We developed a policy process to help employees go up in terms of Hay grades. This process comprises clear procedures for the initiation of level increases, internal and external assessments, and evaluation of results. The criteria for promotion are based on expertise, impact, responsibility and problem-solving ability, with the aim of encouraging the personal and professional growth of employees. 

All permanent staff are entitled to the following extralegal benefits: cafeteria plan, hospitalisation cover, internet allowance, meal vouchers, eco vouchers, net allowance for homeworking, net allowance for mobile, group insurance, training budget, bicycle allowance, 32 holidays a year, free parking, mobility budget or commuting allowance. 

We calculate the pay gap at DNS Belgium using the ratio between the annual total remuneration of the highest paid person and the median remuneration for all other employees. The pay gap ratio is 2.45 currently. For the growth in terms of percentage we use a formula that divides the increase in pay for the highest paid person by the median increase for all other employees. This ratio is currently 0.9.  

4. Life-long learning in 2023 

DNS Belgium organised a total of 395 external training hours in 2023. This is well below the target figure of 12 training days per person a year (at least 96 hour per person). Only 11.4% of the predetermined training hours were actually followed. The low percentage can be partly explained by the fact that self-study and on-the-job learning were not properly recorded.  

Personal development plans (PDPs) 

As part of a possible Hay increase, we drew up personal development plans for four employees. These plans are designed to promote individual growth and career development. 

Catch-up talks 

We also conducted 20 catch-up talks to support and assess employees' progress and growth. This initiative aims to provide regular feedback and help employees achieve their development goals. 

Critical knowledge  

A key KPI is ensuring at least two employees possess critical knowledge. The score for this KPI is 83% currently. Although there is still room for improvement, we have already laid a solid foundation for this. We did 15 percentage points better in 2023 than the previous year.  

Interns and internships 

In 2023, DNS Belgium welcomed four interns: three in our engineering department and one in communication, whose internship ended in January. Our goal is to offer at least two internships every year, which we more than achieved. These internships offer young talents the chance to gain valuable experience and contribute to our organisation. 

5. Health and safety and measures to improve employees' well-being  

We have a dedicated health and safety team, consisting of one health and safety officer and two counsellors. In 2023, the counsellors held five talks to support employees. We did not use Pulso's services. There has been one long-term sick employee, and we have taken measures to start re-integration from 2024. Two industrial accidents were recorded.  

In 2023 we organised seven well-being actions, including a workshop aimed at stress and burn-out prevention, thus exceeding our target of at least six actions. The aim of these initiatives is to promote a healthy work environment and reduce work-related stress. 

S3, sociocracy: ownership and participation  

In 2023, DNS Belgium took important steps to further implement Sociocracy 3.0 (S3) within the organisation. More and more teams are now self-managing and applying the S3 principles in their day-to-day activities. This approach allows us to operate more effectively, increase employee involvement and improve our decision-making processes. 

As part of our commitment to greater employee participation, we added three staff delegates to the HR committee in 2023. This selection took place through the S3 process of role selection. The revamped HR committee meets every fortnight.  

The CSR committee, together with the sustainability manager, is responsible for developing and carrying out the sustainability policy. In the last year the CSR committee convened four times to discuss and implement strategies that improve our ecological and social impact.  

6. Employment figures 2023 

DNS Belgium values a sustainable and inclusive workplace that promotes the professional growth and well-being of its employees.