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What does a workweek at Dialogic look like?
That varies from week to week and from person to person. José has written an interesting contribution about this: a week as a researcher. Be sure to take a look!
Who are your clients?
The majority of our research projects are commissioned by Dutch public organizations: ministries, provinces, municipalities, regional umbrella organizations, grid operators, and more. The Flemish government and the European Commission also seek our advice on various interesting topics.
Do people generally stay at Dialogic for a long time?
More than 80% of those who start at Dialogic still work with us after the first year (February 2024: 86%). This group of people then stays with Dialogic on average for 5.2 years. This is an average: 8-9 years is not uncommon. In these statistics, we do not include the partners, who tend to work even longer at Dialogic. Two out of the five are founders, and the other three once started as juniors!
Do you have a fixed workspace at the Dialogic office?
At our office, we use flexible workspaces – you can sit (or stand) anywhere and plug in your laptop. We have various types of workspaces: single and double rooms for concentration, small individual spaces for (video) calls, 'islands' where 4 to 5 people work together, and meeting rooms. All workspaces have good chairs and two screens. Some workspaces are adjustable or can be used as sit-stand desks. Some days are busier than others, but there is always enough space.
For new junior researchers, we set up a space at our 'junior island'. This is where you get to know your new colleagues the quickest and can easily ask for help if needed.
The work as a researcher is not limited to our office – you can read all about it here.
How do Dialogic's research projects contribute to society?
Dialogic's research projects almost always focus on current, socially relevant issues. The government uses the outcomes and insights from our work in policymaking, and we hope that our answers contribute to that. To get an idea of the impact our work makes, you can read more about our work that has made it to the media.
What does a career after Dialogic look like?
It's not a strange question to ask – you don't have to work at Dialogic for your entire life. People who have left our company, often after a few years, generally end up very well. Here are some examples of alumni who left in recent years – listed are their last position with us and their current position:
- Mid-Level Researcher: Advisor in data and scientific programming at a university
- Mid-Level Researcher: Policy officer at a ministry
- Mid-Level Researcher: Director of the regulatory affairs department at a telecom operator
- Mid-Level Researcher: Principal of a high school
- Senior Researcher: Global Lead HR Analytics at a bank
- Senior Researcher: Strategic advisor at an executive agency
- Senior Researcher: Deputy CIO at a ministry
- Senior Researcher: Learning and Development Consultant at a company in the technical sector
- Senior Researcher: Partner at a major Dutch investment firm
Many former Dialogicians found their next job in the field where they gained a lot of experience as a researcher at Dialogic (and in some cases discovered the field while working at Dialogic). We still keep in touch with many alumni. They drop by for a Friday afternoon drink occasionally, and we invite them over from time to time.
Many graduates and interns continue their career at Dialogic, but even those who don't also generally end up in good positions.
Is Dialogic a highly hierarchical organised company?
No. You generally work together in different project teams of about 2-5 people. A mid-level or senior researcher usually leads the project in this team. All partners also work as researchers (and therefore frequently with someone else as the project leader). Only more formal matters, such as job applications and development discussions, are reserved for the partners.
Is there a lot of travel required (besides commuting)?
Most internal meetings (without a client or external party involved) take place at Dialogic's office, online, or in a hybrid format. We have good online meeting facilities, so dialling into a meeting at the office is usually not a problem.
Most projects also involve external meetings, such as with clients, interviewees, conferences or workshops. The project leader decides with the project team who will attend which meeting. Some external meetings are online, some are 'face to face' at our office or elsewhere. As we work a lot for the public sector, these meetings often take place in locations like The Hague and are usually close to a train station.
Can I work from home?
You are allowed to work from home up to (on average) half of the week, if you find it comfortable and it fits within the projects you are working on. This can be fixed days per week or as needed (just clearly indicate it in your schedule). Many colleagues, for example, choose to work from home when they need concentration (like writing a report) and prefer to be at the office for other tasks. You can always come to the office. Formally, your workplace is Utrecht and in some cases (e.g. performance reviews) we might ask you to come to the office.
For new employees, we recommend coming to the office regularly in the first few months so you can get to know your colleagues and work well and quickly get involved in projects.
Can I choose when to go on holiday?
You can decide when and for how long you take leave entirely on your own, as long as it fits within the execution of the projects you are involved in or will be involved in and the number of leave days you have accrued. Usually, there are few restrictions (the project schedule is often known well in advance). There are usually no mandatory leave days. Some colleagues prefer to take leave during school holidays, while others prefer different times – so there are almost always enough people available. The longer your leave, the further in advance you should plan it. You simply schedule it in your calendar (after discussing it with your project leaders). In practice, we almost never refuse leave requests.
Do I need to bring my own lunch to the office?
You don't have to: at Dialogic, there is a delicious lunch with all colleagues in our lunchroom every regular working day at 12:30.
What languages and technologies do data scientists and developers work with at Dialogic?
As we carry out a wide variety of research, we use many different technologies and tools. These include Python, R, Excel and Stata, among others. You usually decide together with your project team what to use.
Software that we maintain for a long time (such as dashboards or AI solutions) is typically written in Python, TypeScript or PHP. We use modern frameworks such as Laravel and Nuxt/Vue and libraries like Torch.
