Brenda Vermeeren appointed as Professor of ‘Strategic HRM, Leadership, and Public Performance'

The Human Resource Management (HRM) field is subject to significant changes. Examples include new working models, such as working from home, the rise of technologies like data analytics and artificial intelligence, the focus on sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and the legislation around working longer. 

Further research is needed to understand how to manage people effectively in these changing circumstances. This aims to promote healthy, happy, and productive employees, realise organisational effectiveness, efficiency, and legitimacy, and create public value.

The public sector has faced quite some criticism in recent years regarding achieving these goals. For example, the Dutch childcare benefits scandal, but also concerns about the quality of education, and health care, and the maintenance of our infrastructure. In addition, the public sector is struggling with staff shortages, high work pressure, bureaucracy, violence against public service providers, and feelings of social insecurity. 

Brenda Vermeeren: "Within this chair, I want to focus on the interaction between HRM and leadership. The challenges in the public sector call for research into how HRM and leadership can improve well-being and performance in this sector and thereby create public value."

Vermeeren transfers her knowledge through teaching students, PhD candidates, and HR professionals. "In doing so, I want to provide the public sector with tools for managing work and employees. As Vice Dean of Education, I also want to use the knowledge gained to professionalise lecturers and strengthen educational leadership, among other things."

About Brenda Vermeeren

Dr. Brenda Vermeeren has been working at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) since 2007. She studies the relationship between HRM and public performance and the role of line managers and employees in this relationship. A key driver in her work is connecting science and (policy) practice. She is a general board member of the Association for Public Administration (Vereniging voor Bestuurskunde) and an editorial board member of the Dutch HRM journal (Tijdschrift voor HRM). In addition, education has run as a thread throughout her career, and she has been actively involved in educational development and coordination for many years. Since April 2023, she has been Vice Dean of Education within the ESSB. The chair is part of the ‘Organization and Management’ team within the Department of Public Administration and Sociology.