From the 21ste floor of the Conclusion office building, we look into the Galgenwaard football stadium through the large windows. “You couldn’t have a better start to your working day,” says chef Arjan de Jong (48) from his stainless steel kitchen with a view. He starts every day at seven o’clock. This morning he saw the sun rise over the meadows and the stadium, on the other side the full moon shone over the Utrecht Dom Tower. Five days a week, together with manager Oscar van Gilse (51), he prepares a fresh lunch for the more than a thousand office employees of the IT service provider. “The first diners are already waiting around ten to half past twelve,” says Arjan.
Oscar is willing to contribute to the article, but asks if he can see the photos first. He wants to be sure that the buffet and kitchen are neat and tidy. “Look over there,” Oscar points to a tiny mushroom on the floor next to the salad buffet. “Not taking a picture of it, that doesn’t make me happy.” He and Arjan keep the kitchen as sleek as possible. “But you never know what those hungry people leave behind, right,” says Oscar.
“Every day we surprise the guests with a changing hot snack,” says Arjan. Today: risotto with steamed salmon and purple broccoli. The soup is always made from freshly drawn stock. Wednesday is snack day. Recently, higher-ups decided that employees are only allowed one fried snack per person. Oscar sees to this, but not because of the costs: “It’s really about the health of our people.”
Recently, higher-ups decided that Conclusion employees are only allowed one fried snack per person.
Photos Simon Lenskens
The canteen, decorated like the lounge of a two-star hotel, is full. The people from the marketing team are sitting at a long table. We can have lunch with them, they thought that would be the most fun. Maarten van Sadelhoff (45) sips his Mexican beef broth with wild mushrooms and explains what Conclusion does: “Everything in the field of business transformations and IT services to provide our customers with full service.” Ten minutes follow with examples of what the company is working on. “We contributed to the dark mode of the NS station signs,” says Jacqueline van der Laan (57).
On the table is a poster of the upcoming ski trip: Snowtastic 2026 in Flachau. No one from the marketing team is joining us this year. “We have a lot of ski trips in the ecosystem,” says Orion Daalhuizen (31). By the ecosystem he means all the separate companies that fall under Conclusion. All companies also have their own ski holiday. Orion: “If you play it smart, you can go on a skiing holiday ten times a year, always with a different group of people.” He has never gone along himself, he doesn’t like skiing.
Because of the many different companies, “there is always something to have a drink,” says Corianne Visser (38). On the 22ste floor has its own pub with karaoke and musical instruments. Corianne: “We have events from youngclusion, a women’s network and Conclusion sport.” Maarten agrees: “And don’t forget the monthly drinks tonight.” Every first Thursday of the month there is a monthly drink in the on-site pub. The theme tonight is ‘fit & wrong’.
There is also a poster for this on the lunch table: a woman in 80s clothing on an exercise bike eating pizza from the box. It’s dressing up. No one from the marketing team goes to the drinks: there is football. Conclusion is the main sponsor of FC Utrecht. Orion is going to the football match in the stadium tonight. He regularly organizes customer evenings in the skybox: “It is my job to pamper those customers really hard.” How does he do that? “There is a tap.”
On the 22ste The floor of the Conclusion office has its own pub with karaoke and musical instruments.
Photo Simon Lenskens
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