Bas Franken on good employment practices
MVO (Corporate Social Responsibility) is about much more than just the environment. It is equally important to be a good employer for your own people. In fact, good employership is one of the most important themes within our MVO policy. But what is good employership? What makes an organization a pleasant workplace? We asked Bas Franken, an ICT employee at Life & Mobility. Bas: “I’m not leaving here anytime soon.”
Bas (22 years old) started three years ago as a temporary worker in our assembly department. Bas: “That was during my gap year; I had quit my computer science education and decided to do something completely different. So I ended up at Life & Mobility through a temp agency. At that time, I didn’t think I would stick around this long, but I immediately had a good feeling about the company. So I indicated that I would like to continue working here for a while longer, maybe in a different position.”
From assembly to ICT
And he succeeded. Because Bas has now been working in our ICT department for two years. “At first, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, until I heard that the ICT department needed reinforcement. Because I was studying computer science before, I thought that could be something for me. During a trial internship, I looked around for a month and got a good impression of what it’s like to work there. I liked it a lot. When the ICT manager offered me a position, I jumped at the chance.”
All the freedom
Even after two years, Bas still really enjoys being an ICT employee. “I especially like the freedom you get here,” Bas says. According to him, this is also what typifies a good employer. “That you are given the freedom to do your work as you see fit and to do something independently. That and an informal, approachable, relaxed atmosphere. All very well at Life & Mobility.”
Old, familiar place
Bas emphasizes the freedom he experiences with a great example. “I always had the desire to take a long trip. That has never been a problem for Life & Mobility. Even better: they told me that there is plenty of room for that. My trip is now over; I spent seven months traveling around Southeast Asia. An amazing experience. When I came back, I could immediately start working here again, as agreed beforehand. By now I’ve been enjoying myself again for some time at my old, familiar place. That is not a given everywhere.”
A great career
There are plenty of ambitions for the future. For example, Bas is going to study with a study grant offered to him by Life & Mobility. “From February I will start a course in programming. Then I will work four days for Life & Mobility and spend one day in school. Of course with the goal of building a nice career within Life & Mobility as a programmer after that. For now, I’m not leaving this company any time soon.”
Click here for Good employment practices in our CSR annual report.