Extraordinarydigital agencyAbout us

Swink stands for ‘to swink’, an old English expression for ‘working hard’. We are a commercial digital agency and a social enterprise. For more than a fifteen years, we have proven that making a profit and creating social impact go perfectly well together. By doing business with us, we can employ even more people with autism. They have special qualities and make Swink extraordinary.

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Our story: from wonder to impact

Do you ever notice them too? People with qualities who don't get the chance to show what they can do? So much talent that goes unused? Swink was born out of that wonder in 2007. Founder Paul Malschaert wondered how he could bring these untapped talents and the labour market together.

Paul decided to start a company that utilises the qualities of people with autism. Because then something magical happens: people who were previously on the sidelines start to grow. Professionally, but above all personally. The impact of earning your own salary is enormous. It increases your independence and self-confidence, and dreams that you didn't even dare to dream before suddenly become achievable. Think of buying a house or starting a family.

A different perspective on work and talent

Of the total group of people diagnosed with autism, 75% have normal to above-average intelligence. We want to help this group find work, because research shows that more than half of people with autism who are able to work do not have a paid job. And that's despite the fact that unemployment in the Netherlands has never been so low.

People with autism who do have a paid job often drop out later with burnout symptoms. Or they do work that is far below their abilities. This is often because they do not fit into the “normal” system and are constantly trying to adapt to the norm.

Perhaps we at Swink are a little rebellious in that sense. With us, people can be themselves, which is also pleasant for people without autism. Every day, we rethink things: not “what can't you do”, but “what can you do”. But we do so with high ambitions for quality, something that fits perfectly with our clients and our employees.

Why we do what we do

Together with our clients, we provide sustainable, paid jobs for people with autism. This allows them to be independent and self-sufficient, to develop themselves and to realise their dreams. With work at a level that does justice to their qualities. That is our mission.

We surprise our clients with our specialism, expertise and pragmatic approach. We love solving your problems. We are keen to prove that social entrepreneurship and commercial enterprise go hand in hand. Because, quite frankly, as well as being socially responsible, we also want to be the best for our clients.

How we do what we do

We utilise the extraordinary qualities of people with autism for our clients. We try to break through existing patterns. At our office, we provide tailored support to colleagues with autism to help them quickly develop into professionals: as accessibility or content specialists.

Everyone can be themselves at our company. This means that we take the aspects of autism into account. We do this by providing a low-stimulus environment, sufficient space to find peace and quiet, and clear agreements with each other.

Extraordinary qualities

Our autism means we process information differently. Our focus is therefore mainly on the details. This makes us particularly good at performing meticulous work, such as examining your website for digital accessibility. Our autism also means we work in a structured way. This is ideal for content migration, for example. Online services and autism are therefore an excellent combination, as our clients agree.

Our core values

For us, the following three core values are an integral part of our company culture.

  • We are experts

    We are specialists in our field and use our expertise to benefit our clients. We are ambitious in this regard: we strive to be the experts in our field. Not only because we want to be, but also because we want to offer our clients the best solutions. We solve problems for which there are no obvious solutions by thinking outside the box. We enjoy these challenges the most because they allow us to utilise all our knowledge and skills.

  • We believe in personal growth

    Growing at Swink means developing yourself. Naturally in your field of expertise, but also as a person. In a safe environment, we give each other space and help each other to grow personally. Everyone at their own level and pace. What we learn with and from each other at Swink helps us to realise our dreams.

  • We are transparent

    Bij Swink kunnen we onszelf zijn, omdat we respectvol met elkaar omgaan en eerlijk en open naar elkaar zijn. De feedback die we elkaar geven is bedoeld om elkaar te helpen. We weten wat we aan elkaar hebben. Open zijn wil niet zeggen dat je alles moet vertellen. Het gaat erom dat we geen verborgen agenda's hebben en dat we elkaar kunnen vertrouwen.

    Voor onze klanten geldt hetzelfde. We zijn eerlijk en open, vooral als iets niet goed gaat. Partners moeten elkaar kunnen vertrouwen en transparantie is daarvoor een randvoorwaarde.