Task Force Part-Time Plus

• 27.05.2009

The term task force suggests focus and professionalism. Originally coined by the US Navy for a clearly defined military mission, it has been adopted for a wide range of temporary teams that set out to accomplish a particular task or engage in specific activities. This definition perfectly fits the Taskforce DeeltijdPlus (Task Force Part-Time Plus) created by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.

The task
Simply put, the objective of the Task Force, which kicked off its two-year lifespan in April 2008, is to stimulate women in the Netherlands who have part-time jobs of less than 24 hours a week to work more hours.

The force
The Task Force, administered and facilitated by a project office at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, has been carefully composed to include members from different backgrounds with a broad range of knowledge and expertise. Pia Dijkstra, its chair, is a high-profile media personality who used to present the main evening news on Dutch public broadcast television. Still very active in broadcasting, she is also the wife of Gerlach Cerfontaine, who recently resigned as CEO of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Désirée van Gorp, university lecturer and director of the Nyenrode Institute for Competition, provides the academic perspective within the Task Force. The only man on the committee, Martijn de Wildt, is an HR expert and director of Qidos, an agency that contributes expert knowledge on such matters as work/life balance. Judith Ploegman, who is currently not working for health reasons, has been replaced by Marjan van Noort, director of De Burcht, a centre for labour relations. Two other members recruited to the Task Force in 2009 are Samira Boucetta, the driving force behind Oemnia, which helps Moroccan women to generate their own income, and South African Ndo Ntoane, a consultant on talent development and cultural diversity working for the Dutch Railways.