The SD Worx Series – Jan Laurijssen and Sustainable HR

Welcome to the SD Worx Series! In this collection of blogs, interviews, and videos, we sit down with our colleagues to learn more about what drives them. 

Discover the inner workings of SD Worx, the unique journeys of our leadership team, and how their experiences shape the company today. 

First up, we hear from Jan Laurijssen, SD Worx’s HR Evangelist, on the future of AI and work. With expertise at the intersection of research, technology, and HR strategy, Jan brings a valuable perspective. Alongside his role at SD Worx, he is a researcher at the University of Antwerp and a trusted consultant to organisations navigating the evolving world of work. 

Jan coordinates cutting-edge research on “Next Generation Work” in collaboration with the Antwerp Management School. He is also a fellow of Reshaping Work, a global platform exploring the impact of emerging technologies on the workplace and contributes to the EU-funded SEISMEC project. 

SD Worx Ireland Content Specialist Aoife Meagher sat together with Jan and had an inspiring conversation. 

Aoife: It’s great to chat with you today, Jan. First off, tell me about your experiences with Ireland. 

Jan: I’ve been here twice! Once was a study trip with my psychology faculty, and the other was a trip with friends. We went for a bike ride through the Burren, which was amazing, though bikes back then were far less sophisticated than they are today! 

Aoife: Your title at SD Worx is "HR Evangelist." Why the term evangelist? 

Jan: The title was suggested by Michael Custers, our Chief Strategy Officer, with the idea that I would serve as the company’s public speaker across all the countries where we operate. My role is to discuss the future of work and the evolution of HR—drawing from both our own research and academic studies—to inspire our clients to think beyond the present and understand what’s happening in the industry. 

Aoife: Does the term help you in terms of inspiration? Do people respond well to it? 

Jan: Many people find it intriguing. The interpretation varies by culture—evangelism can mean different things—but in general, people understand that my mission is to talk about the future of work and HR’s role in shaping it: what does this mean for our customers, what opportunities there are for them. 

Aoife: Can you tell us about your journey to where you are today? 

Jan: I graduated as an educational psychologist in 1995 and went through various roles within the public sector and research community. In the early 2000s, I became heavily involved in e-learning and held several learning and development positions. I joined SD Worx in 2011, initially working in learning and development and HR consultancy. Over the past decade, my focus has shifted more toward research—exploring trends in the world of work. Today, I’m SD Worx’s public speaker…  

Aoife: One topic we hear so much about in the world of work right now is sustainable HR. What does that mean practically for businesses? 

Jan: Sustainable HR is about sustainable careers. Right now, labour market shortages make it difficult to find the right people. More workers are retiring than entering the job market—so we need to take care of everyone who wants to work for. 

With AI becoming more prevalent, continuous learning is essential. Employees must be able to adapt to new challenges, and organisations must ensure they don’t lose valuable talent along the way. 

Aoife: What methods can businesses use to make this happen? 

Jan: We’re investigating how data can help us understand career evolution within organisations. This allows us to anticipate when employees may need new opportunities or when a company is about to implement new technologies. 

AI and tech analytics can facilitate conversations between employees and their managers, helping them understand how their roles may change, evolve, or even disappear. 

For example, if we analyse career patterns, we might see that employees with similar backgrounds and tenure tend to start considering new opportunities at a certain point. If that happens, we can proactively present new roles that align with their skills and interests. 

This strategic workforce planning approach allows organisations to manage talent more efficiently and sustainably.  

With MyProtime Planning, an AI-driven technology, we help customers of any size and complexity with workforce planning, from flexible schedules to advanced shift planning. Today it’s available in 33 countries across Europe. 

Aoife: That sounds very proactive. What are the implications for people leaders? 

Jan: Absolutely—it’s a shift away from the traditional mindset of filling vacancies. 

Instead, we need to ask: 

• Where is our workforce headed?  
• What are the future skills we’ll be needing? 
• How are jobs evolving under the influence of AI 
• If someone retires, should we replace them with an identical skill set, or should we bring in different expertise to match the job’s evolution? 
• Where’s the untapped potential in my organisation? 
• …  

Aoife: If you're looking at untapped potential or heading in a new direction, how would you begin the process of identifying those individuals for roles? 

Jan: At SD Worx, we use the SD Worx Compass, an internal labour market tool to stimulate and enable internal mobility. 

This platform supports performance management while indeed also facilitating career mobility. Employees upload their profiles, and vacancies are posted within the system. A matching algorithm identifies potential candidates—not looking for a perfect 100% fit, but rather those with a 50% match who are motivated to grow into new roles. 

The idea is to guide people toward opportunities. 

For example, imagine an employee continues their current role for 80% of their time, and for the remaining 20%, they prepare for a transition into a data scientist position—fully supported along the way. This allows them to explore whether they enjoy it, assess their capabilities, and secure a guaranteed role at the end of their journey. 

Strategic workforce planning is becoming a top priority for many organisations. Companies must ask: 

• What skills will we need in three to five years? 
• Do we already have these skills internally, or do we need to develop them? 
• Should we recruit externally?  

We’ll be back with Jan next season for a fascinating dive into AI and the Future of Work!