Origin of Recharge360
We are getting busier and busier and
we deal with that worse and worse.
Couldn't that be smarter?
We live in a time when everyone has to do more: perform more, shift more, be more available. And although we often know exactly what we need to stay well in our energy ... we don't. We don't lack knowledge, we lack behavior.
To experiencing what works. And then sticking with it.
That question fascinated Hidde de Vries fifteen years ago: how do you help people work smart, recover better and be more energetic in their work? Not as theory, but in practice.
Our beliefs
The turning point
In 2010, Hidde almost lost his media company due to the financial crisis. Long days, mounting stress and a negative lifestyle took their toll. When a close friend - normally the paragon of energy - called in tears because he was in burnout, Hidde realized: If I continue like this, I'll be the next.
That moment set everything in motion. He literally stepped back, went on a journey and soon discovered something fundamental: We are getting busier and busier and we are dealing with it worse and worse. The solution is not in less work, but in smarter energy management and a stronger mindset. In being able to consciously switch back, recharge and make choices that yield energy instead of costing it.
The birth of Recharge Week
Back in the Netherlands, he translated that insight into an experiment: A week in which you do exactly those things that you know are good for you, but that you structurally don't do. Small, concrete and manageable: setting goals, taking cold showers, taking more frequent breaks, no screens before bedtime.
Not as patronizing prevention, but as playful competition. Not as theory, but as experience.
It worked. People felt the difference themselves and wanted to get on with it right away. Not with everything, but each her own quick win. Which, if you keep it up long enough, will have a positive effect on all kinds of things in your life. We often want to change everything big and rigorous right away, but that takes an enormous amount of energy. Small things, consistently adjusting, makes it easier, more fun and more effective.
Thus was born Recharge Week, now followed by Recharge360. The platform that makes this approach scalable for entire organizations.
Energy
From experiment to proven approach
Since that first week, more than 100,000 people participated. Companies such as Deloitte, Google, Rituals, Unilever and Randstad use the method to make employees more productive, energetic and resilient.
Books, TED talks, keynotes and columns ensured that the thinking was widely picked up. Meanwhile, wellbeing began to become more and more mainstream. But at the same time the supply of coaches, apps and programs exploded. For HR the challenge grew to keep an overview and to really activate colleagues. What was missing was an overview, quality and a proven approach that really changes behavior.
That's why there is Recharge360
In 2023, Serge Brabander joined. Serge had previously set up OneFit, an online marketplace for exercise classes. He, too, saw the potential of a platform that brings everything together. This led to a new phase: a platform that allows employees to read, watch, listen and experience what works for them, supported by a carefully selected network of partners.
Recharge360 bundles everything effective for sustainable change into one environment. Because in the end, it's all about one thing: taking action. Small steps, big effect.
And as we grow ... we also give back
Together with our partner, we now help organizations with a wide range of issues, such as training, culture programs, health and safety services, health checks (PMOs). Basically everything to relieve HR, strengthen organizations and offer the most complete solution possible. We do this not only for ourselves. With actions for Free a Girl, the Rescue Foundation in Mumbai, Youth Protection and Stichting MIND, among others, we continue to contribute to a healthier society - inside and outside organizations.
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