Stable digitalisation

1,7 million active domain names 

In 2022, domain name transactions returned to the old normal. The number of new registrations fell back to the level of 2019 - the period before covid - or even just below. In turn, renewals of domain names registered in previous years remained very high. This shows that the accelerated digitalisation of the SME sector in Belgium during the covid pandemic is sustainable and perpetuated. Entrepreneurs who believed back then that it was time to digitise their business did not see it as a temporary solution and also appear to be convinced after the lockdowns that digitisation is meaningful and useful.

The high renewal rate means that, despite limited growth, we can end 2022 with over 1.7 million active domain names in the .be zone.

Precursor in cybersecurity

In 2022, DNS Belgium stepped up its activities to combat potential rogue registrations. The identity checks we require at some registrations obviously lead to fewer abuses in the .be zone. As a side effect of those compulsory checks, a few thousand domain names remained 'on hold'. These domain names are reserved and kept for a year in the name of the potential new domain name holder. However, they cannot be actively used until we have actually verified the identity of the domain name holder.

This way of working makes us a forerunner in our sector and, together with other players, increases cyber security in Belgium's digital society. Our aim is to develop the .be zone but also .vlaanderen and .brussels into the most reliable and secure zones in the world. We believe that consumers and internet users should be able to surf with peace of mind on .be, .vlaanderen and .brussels websites.

SDG Champion

In terms of sustainability, DNS Belgium focused on further electrifying our fleet in 2022. Post-covid, business trips, physical travel and commuting are again on the rise. This has a major impact on our carbon footprint, which was slightly higher in 2022 than in the few years before. Despite this, we achieved the SDG Champion label in 2022 for the many efforts we have made in recent years. Those actions also led us to sharpen our organisation's financial efficiency even more. We strongly believe that you can do good for the environment and society while saving money.

Societal impact

In terms of sustainability, Digital for Youth remains a diamond in our crown. Through Digital for Youth, we collect discarded laptops from organisations and donate them to organisations working to teach digital skills to our youth. Just before Christmas 2022, the 20,000th laptop went out the door at Digital for Youth. A study we commissioned shows that those laptops have a positive impact on young people's lives and the functioning of youth organisations.

The numbers

As of 31 December 2022, 38 people worked for DNS Belgium, including 28 full-time and 10 part-time.

Two employees left DNS Belgium in 2022. We recruited four employees.

HR-policy

There remain some constants in our HR policy, such as our HR 1.0 approach where we pursue correct HR administration, continue to focus on performance management and offer a benefit plan and mobility budget.

Wellbeing at work

We started 2022 with a mindfulness class series with the aim of offering interested colleagues the opportunity to learn techniques to manage stress to improve their emotional well-being. During these sessions, colleagues were taught the principles of mindfulness such as conscious attention and acceptance of the now, both in a work environment and at home.

Hybrid work

Hybrid working is now fully established. Our employees work part of their time in the office and part from home. We agree to come to the office for at least one day every week because we are convinced that physical presence in the office helps maintain our corporate culture and sense of belonging between the colleagues.

Employer branding

In 2022, we started employer branding. We are convinced that through employer branding, we will put our organisation on the map as an attractive employer and thus attract potential employees and motivate existing employees to stay with DNS Belgium.

We carried out the first phase of the project in 2022. In collaboration with our partner Insilencio and our employees, an Employer Value Proposition (EVP) was drawn up. Our EVP describes what benefits and unique values our organisation has to offer.

A second phase in our project on employer branding will start in 2023.

Employee satisfaction and Freetalks

Every year, we gauge the engagement and satisfaction of our employees with a survey. For this we work together with Korn Ferry. The results of the survey provide valuable insights and point out areas for improvement.

In 2022 we still achieved good results, although we had to give up a few points compared to 2021. From HR we decided to involve our colleagues in some areas of improvement and so the Freetalks were born. This is an initiative where every employee can share his or her point of view, supported by examples and/or experiences. A first Freetalk will start in January 2023.

During the Freetalks, we highlight the following themes:

• Working together across teams
• Performance Management
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Communication across departments
• Timely decision making on the right level

We remain continuously committed to performance management in which we call on our talent development consultant Kathleen Jooris. In consultation with the managers, the employees involved and HR, Kathleen is pushing hard to identify development needs and opportunities in the organisation.