Thebe, from a technical question to an employer-branding and corporate website
For Thebe we built in two phases, from one clear question.
"A great website with a unique WAUW factor. The collaboration was focused and purposeful."
– Mandy Bekkers, Thebe
Thebe is a large care provider in Central and West Brabant. The question to Schwung did not begin with design, but with technology: the existing website no longer moved with the organisation, and no one could pin down why.
We started with an independent analysis, then built in two phases: first a careers website with the concept De WAUW van Thebe, then the corporate website and a digital brand-identity manual. One brand, two audiences, one future-proof foundation.
First the question beneath the question: is what we have future-proof?
Most website projects begin with a design. This one began with a diagnosis. Thebe wanted a careers site and a link to a recruitment system, but the real question was technical: can that run on the existing environment, and is that environment ready for the future? Schwung analysed the existing site independently, and put in black and white why the status quo was not a solution.
- An outdated foundation. The site ran on Umbraco 7, a generation nearing the end of its life. The CMS itself was well maintained, but the foundation was no longer of this time.
- Entangled with a closed framework. On top of Umbraco sat the previous builder's WebCit framework. That made the back end needlessly complex and created dependency: decoupling it and handing it over to another party was anything but straightforward.
- Needlessly complex for the editorial team. Almost all page types leaned on a single template with dozens of separate blocks. Plenty of freedom, but an environment that felt more complicated than necessary for the Thebe staff.
- Rebuild? Not a realistic option. The site was so extensive that a full reimplementation would demand a substantial investment, without the payoff to justify it.
The advice: don't rebuild everything at once. Choose a two-step strategy. Develop the careers website separately from the existing environment, but in a future-proof Umbraco CMS. A different audience, different content, a clean start, and immediate proof that it can be done more simply. Then the corporate website.
The careers website and De WAUW van Thebe.
In healthcare you can work anywhere and pay scales are largely equal. So the difference lies not in the work or the terms, but in the brand and the culture. With an average of around 150 open vacancies, Thebe had to differentiate on exactly that. We set out from De Bedoeling and the high employee and client satisfaction, and cast it into one recognisable concept.
Five employer characteristics: Thebe's EVPs.
The five employer characteristics together form Thebe's employer value proposition (EVP). WAUW makes them tangible through two perspectives that connect seamlessly:
- Employee"What is your WAUW? / What is the WAUW to you?" Employees tell what the WAUW means to them. Real, personal stories that fill the five EVPs with proof and feeling.
- Candidate"Which WAUW fits you?" The candidate links themselves to the EVP that fits them best, and so discovers their own WAUW van Thebe.
This is how the employee stories and the candidate's choice connect to the same five EVPs. (A third, client perspective was ready, but was partly postponed because of the pandemic.)
Under the hood we did what the analysis called for: a clean, fast and mobile-friendly Umbraco site, linked to an ATS (Ubeeo) so vacancies are managed centrally and published automatically, with attention to findability. Concept and technology reinforced each other.
Beneath the WAUW lies an employer brand that holds true.
The WAUW is not a layer of styling laid over healthcare. Beneath it lies an employer brand, built on De Bedoeling and carried fully through the organisation, from the careers page to the first working day. Because an employer promise that doesn't hold true on day one doesn't exist: a brand lives not on the page, but in the experience of the employee who has just stepped in. The five employer characteristics (the EVPs) therefore come straight from what employees themselves experience.
- EVP 1Working at Thebe means autonomy and responsibility in your work.
- EVP 2You work in a large care organisation with many chances to learn and grow.
- EVP 3Thebe is vital and people-focused: for clients and colleagues alike.
- EVP 4You work in a self-managing team, following De Bedoeling.
- EVP 5Thebe leads the way in healthcare. You work with the latest tools, contribute ideas and innovate.
"The employer brand does not exist on the page. It exists in the experience of the employee who has just stepped in."
Employercare · 2025–2026
And it pays off: Best Employer of the Year in healthcare.
In February 2026, Thebe was named Best Employer of the Year in healthcare (2025–2026). Not on the basis of a campaign, but on the basis of its employee survey: eNPS, satisfaction and workload. Exactly the proof an employer brand is about, the promise is made good in practice. Director Agnes Klaren: "This recognition shows that it really is possible: working in elderly care with genuine enjoyment."
The corporate website and the brand-identity manual.
With a proven approach and a future-proof foundation, we then built Thebe's corporate website, driven by the new brand identity and De Bedoeling. Not a site that revolves around the organisation, but around the visitor's question: a client, relative or referrer looking for a quick answer.
Question-led
A question module on the homepage helps visitors find their answer directly, continuously optimised with analytics on module use, visits and search terms.
Content-first
The most important information sits at the top: a short intro, contact details and CTA first, visuals and depth below.
One goal per page
Every page has one main goal. Layered triggers (a primary and a low-threshold secondary action) increase interaction.
For everyone
Digital accessibility without making it needlessly complicated: clear contrast, B1 language level, keyboard navigation and skip links.
Umbraco
A robust, open CMS suited to a complex site and easy to connect with external systems, ready for further development.
Brand identity secured
A digital brand-identity manual captures the brand, and with toekomstvanthebe.nl the organisation gained its own storytelling environment.
First understand, then build.
The strength of this project lies in the order. By first analysing the technology independently, Thebe could make a well-founded choice instead of blindly rebuilding. By then starting small with the careers site, there was immediate proof: it can be done more simply, faster and stronger.
That built confidence for the bigger step, the corporate website. Two audiences, two stories, but one brand and one future-proof foundation. With technology as the enabler and the brand, De Bedoeling, as the common thread through everything we made.
Role, client, result.
Client
Thebe, care in Central and West Brabant
Role
Technical analysis & advice, concept (De WAUW van Thebe), web design & development (Umbraco), ATS integration, brand-identity manual
Phases
1. Careers + WAUW · 2. Corporate & brand identity
Live
Frequently asked questions about the Thebe case
What did Schwung do for Thebe?
Schwung built for Thebe in two phases. First the careers website with the recruitment concept De WAUW van Thebe, connected to an ATS for vacancy management. Then the corporate website and a digital brand-identity manual. The project started with an independent technical analysis: which CMS is future-proof, and can the existing environment be handed over?
Why did the project start with a technical question instead of a design question?
Thebe knew its existing website no longer moved with the organisation, but not why. Schwung first analysed the technology: an old Umbraco 7 environment, entangled with the previous builder's WebCit framework, which made the back end needlessly complex and not future-proof. Only with that insight could Thebe make a well-founded choice instead of blindly rebuilding.
What is De WAUW van Thebe?
The recruitment concept Schwung developed, based on five employer characteristics: Thebe's EVPs. The core: in healthcare you can work anywhere and pay scales are equal, so the difference lies not in the work but in the brand and the culture. The concept works through two perspectives that hang from those same EVPs: employees tell what their WAUW is, and candidates discover which WAUW fits them.
What technology do Thebe's websites run on?
Both sites run on Umbraco, an open and scalable .NET CMS suited to complex websites and easy to connect with external systems. The careers environment is linked to an ATS (Ubeeo) for managing and automatically publishing vacancies.
How did the careers website perform?
After going live, conversion doubled, site visits rose by roughly 179% compared with the year before, and mobile use grew by around 109%. Concept and technology reinforced each other: a recognisable brand story on a fast, findable and mobile-friendly site.
Is Thebe a good employer?
In February 2026, Thebe was named Best Employer of the Year in healthcare (2025-2026), based on its employee survey. The eNPS stands at 28, 74% of employees feel at home and accepted, and more than 70% experience the workload as manageable. That is precisely the payoff of the employer brand: beneath the WAUW lies a promise that holds true from day one, built on De Bedoeling and carried through into daily practice.
What are Thebe's EVPs?
Thebe's five employer characteristics (EVPs): (1) working at Thebe means autonomy and responsibility in your work; (2) you work in a large care organisation with many chances to learn and grow; (3) Thebe is vital and people-focused, for clients and colleagues alike; (4) you work in a self-managing team, following De Bedoeling; (5) Thebe leads the way in healthcare, you work with the latest tools, contribute ideas and innovate. Together they form the foundation beneath De WAUW van Thebe.
What makes the corporate website future-proof?
The site is built around the visitor's question: a question module on the homepage helps visitors find a targeted answer, with a content-first structure, one goal per page and layered triggers. Alongside this, there is a focus on digital accessibility (contrast, B1 language level, keyboard navigation, skip links), and the site is continuously optimised based on analytics.
Not sure your technology has a future?
Just as with Thebe, we like to start with the question beneath the question, before we build a single thing.