We provide jobs to a wide variety of people, offering opportunities that can truly improve and change someone's life. While having a job is important for many people, it goes without saying that health and well-being are two foundational conditions for living a good life. These are two things we've become even more focused on and committed to in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rob Zandbergen Managing Corporate Executive Officer Head of Staffing Business CEO, RGF Staffing B.V.
During the pandemic, many people experienced job loss and job insecurity. As the pandemic spread across the globe, our core focus was to provide newly unemployed people with new jobs as quickly as possible. It was especially important for us to help people meet their basic needs so that they could continue paying their bills and putting food on the table. And while helping people find jobs is what we aim to do, that's not where it ends for us. We are driven to go further, and provide people with opportunities that allow them to thrive, help build a successful career, and make their lives better.
For example, RGF Staffing in the Netherlands* placed 10,000+ staff at COVID-19 vaccination sites operated by the Dutch Public Health Service. Some of them are people from the restaurant and travel industries who had lost their jobs due to the spread of COVID-19. We did our best to support those who were willing to use their expertise, get retrained, and help society in the fight against the virus all around the Netherlands.
* Formerly USG People the Netherlands
On another note, in Japan, Staff Service introduced a chatbot in English and Portuguese with the goal of better assisting foreign temporary staff. These staffers needed more cordial support to keep up with the constant changes in work rules and regulations caused by the pandemic, with circumstances making it more difficult for them to ask for support in person. This new chatbot is making it easier and safer to access the necessary information virtually, allowing our staffers to focus on their work.
In addition to our COVID-19 related initiatives, we are working diligently to deliver a positive social impact in our local communities. Over the past year, we have offered support for a wide range of activities, such as providing mentoring programs for those in need, raising funds for various charities, and supporting local schools in their early career support initiatives.
RGF Staffing has made diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) a priority. From organizing inclusive leader workshops for our Board of Directors and local CEOs and setting up Employer Resource Committees to support under-represented groups, to supporting our businesses in how to best create and implement their diversity objectives through monthly DEI Round Table events. In these monthly events, our global leaders share best practices and inspiration, and work together as a team to cohesively realize global targets.
We still have a lot of work to do. I know that finding and securing a job can sometimes be difficult, especially in the current environment. We worry every day about people who continue to struggle to find a right job. But this is what motivates us to continue to take our responsibility seriously and connect as many people as possible to jobs that enable them to thrive and live a comfortable life.
I am proud of the passion and commitment our people show every day for this cause. The challenges posed by the pandemic have only inspired us to think, work, and collaborate with even more creativity and compassion than before.