PSO Aspirant status: writing an action plan

Aspirant status is the first recognition under the PSO-Prestatieladder (Social Entrepreneurship Performance Ladder). You get it if you do not yet meet the standard for the Basic level (Basistrede), but want to reach it within two years. To get it, you write an action plan with concrete goals and actions. The plan must be approved at management level, and you must already have started on it. The requirements are in chapter 4 of the PSO-handleiding 2.6 (PSO manual 2.6) from TNO , as performance requirements 0.1 and 0.2. For what Aspirant status exactly means, see PSO levels and calculation. The action plan is also the first thing PSO-Nederland checks before the audit starts.

The qualitative requirements for each level (1.1 to 5.1) are on PSO requirements per level. The plan is not a form you fill in to get it over with. It is the document that commits your organisation to socially responsible business. If you take it seriously, you have a real chance of the Basic level after two years.

What your plan must contain (requirement 0.1)

Requirement 0.1 asks for concrete goals and actions to reach at least the Basic level within two years. The manual sets four conditions for the plan:

Insight and SMART goals. You know where you stand now, and based on that you have set SMART goals for your direct and any indirect contribution. SMART means specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic and time-bound. The goals must lead to at least the Basic level.
Actions in four areas. The plan contains actions for: support within the organisation, recruitment and selection of employees from the target group, making suitable roles visible, and knowledge among one or more officers about the target group and subsidies.
Responsible people. Each action has a responsible officer. One person is named as ultimately responsible. The SMART goals are approved at board or management level.
Reflection for a second application. If you apply for the second time, the plan must look back at the previous plan. See the heading below.

The manual lists the four actions as requirements for the plan, not as suggestions. A plan that describes action in only one area therefore does not comply.

Showing implementation (requirement 0.2)

Requirement 0.2 is about implementation. You must be able to show that you actually carry out the actions in the plan, so that you reach at least the Basic level within two years. This means the plan is a living document. An action that exists only on paper, with nobody acting on it, does not meet the requirement.

In practice, keep evidence for each action: a decision, a meeting report, an order, a completed training, or a conversation with an external expert. A plan with a date and a status for each action works well for the audit.

Template for the plan

This is a fill-in structure. It is not an official PSO-Nederland format, but it contains all the elements the manual mentions.

Section	What you fill in	Example
1. Current situation	Your level calculation and current quantitative contribution	Direct contribution now 1.0%, Basic level norm for 30 employees 2.66%
2. Goal for two years	SMART goal, at least the Basic level	Within 24 months, two employees from the target group hired
3. Support within the organisation	Action, person responsible, deadline	Discuss internally with the management team, Jan, by 1 March
4. Recruitment and selection	Action, person responsible, deadline	Also post vacancies with a reintegration company, HR, by 1 June
5. Map suitable roles	Action, person responsible, deadline	List of roles that are suitable with adjustments, team leaders, by 1 September
6. Officer knowledge	Action, person responsible, deadline	One officer takes training on subsidies and workplace adjustments, HR manager, by 1 April
7. Ultimate responsibility	Name and role	Director, ultimately responsible
8. Approval	Date and signature of the board or management	Approved by the management on 15 January
9. Progress	Per action: status and evidence	Action 3 completed, management team report saved

The names, dates and percentages in this example are fictional. Fill in your own figures.

Example of a completed action

An action without a responsible person and a deadline is just a wish. A well-completed action looks like this:

Action: Draft a workplace adjustment protocol for employees with a work-limiting disability.
Responsible: Head of HR.
Deadline: 30 April.
Evidence: The approved protocol, with date, shared with all line managers, and a report of the discussion in the management team.
Status: Completed on the date, or a new date with a reason.

This is what the auditor wants to see: an action, a person and a date, plus a trail showing the action was carried out.

The completeness check in advance

Before the audit starts, PSO-Nederland checks the action plan for completeness. You must upload it in MijnPSO before the audit. The check is strictly limited to whether all mandatory parts are present. PSO-Nederland does not judge the quality, feasibility or practicability of your goals.

If a mandatory part is missing, you receive a written notice. You then have the chance to complete the plan before the audit. Use that chance. A missing part can delay your application.

A second application: reflection required

If you apply for Aspirant status again, the new plan must look back at the previous one. The manual asks for four things:

Which goals and actions from the previous plan were carried out.
To what extent those actions contributed to the desired level, or why they did not.
An analysis of the causes if the results stayed away.
Which adjusted or new measures you are now taking.

The manual warns that without a substantive and well-founded reflection, the application may be rejected. You can extend once in a seamless way, but not after that. See renewing your PSO certificate.

What the auditor does with the plan

The auditor checks whether your insight into your own level is correct, using a correctly completed calculation tool and a file review, as in a level audit. The auditor speaks to the person ultimately responsible and to the officers who carry out the actions. The auditor reads the documents that describe the actions. The manual sets no requirements on form. You may give a full explanation in the digital checklist, or refer to your own document, such as an action plan that the management has approved.

For requirement 0.2, the auditor reads documents that show implementation, such as minutes of work meetings, reports of conversations with UWV Werkbedrijf (UWV’s employer service point) or intermediary organisations, and reports from the works council (ondernemingsraad). The picture from conversations and reports must be consistent and show progress.

The manual also leaves room for organisations that already work more socially responsibly but cannot yet prove it. In that case, the focus of the plan is on putting the administration in order. For example, you may already employ two people on a Wajong benefit (disability benefit for young people), but the decisions are not in the file. Your action is then to request and archive them.

If you then aim for a level, the 80% norm for conversations about performance does not yet apply at that first level audit. An application for Aspirant status counts as a zero application.

Common mistakes in the plan

A plan that looks good at first glance can still stall at the completeness check or the audit. These are the mistakes we see most often:

Goals without the quantitative path. A goal such as “being more inclusive” is not a SMART goal. The plan must show how you get from your current contribution to the Basic level.
One of the four action areas is missing. Support, recruitment, roles and knowledge must all appear. This applies even if you think one is already in order.
No ultimately responsible person. The manual asks for a designated person ultimately responsible for the plan. Put a name and role there.
Approval is missing. The SMART goals must be approved at board or management level. A date and a signature make this verifiable.
No trace of implementation. Requirement 0.2 asks for evidence that you carry out the actions. Without a status per action, you cannot show it.
A second application without reflection. For a repeat application, the plan must discuss the previous plan point by point.

Checklist before submission

Use this list before you upload the plan to MijnPSO:

Is the current situation calculated with the calculation tool, and is the figure in the plan?
Are there SMART goals for the direct and any indirect contribution, which lead to at least the Basic level?
Does each of the four action areas have at least one action?
Does each action have a responsible officer and a deadline?
Is one person named as ultimately responsible?
Is the plan approved at management level, with a date?
Has implementation started, and can you demonstrate it?
For a second application: is the reflection in the plan?

After upload, PSO-Nederland only checks whether all mandatory parts are there. If one is missing, you receive a written notice and the chance to complete it before the audit.