It's January. The month of fresh starts, questionable gym memberships, and (if you're in HR or leadership) salary revision season. You know that special time of year when spreadsheets decide who feels valued and who starts quietly updating their LinkedIn profile at 11 PM? We ran a little poll on LinkedIn last week. A thought experiment, really: "If your senior woman asked for a €20K raise vs. an external candidate asking €20K more, who gets approved faster?" The results? 100%

Let’s be honest. We all know what’s coming. In about two weeks, you’re going to be standing in a rented event space - maybe it’s that industrial-chic spot in Amsterdam-Noord or the converted warehouse in Eindhoven - holding a glass of lukewarm Prosecco. The DJ will be playing a remix of "Last Christmas" that nobody asked for. You’ll be nodding politely while your Head of Sales explains his "revolutionary" Padel strategy for 2026. But while everyone else is focused on the  bit