Visiting Moldova

Hi! My name is Izabela, I have been working at Schenkeveld at the Schenkeveld Schiphol location since January. My work tasks include welfare and good communication to all our employees, but especially for our employees working on a temporary basis. As I am originally from Poland, communicating with our employees is easier for me than, for example, my other colleagues who do not speak Polish or Russian. Big interests lie mainly in motivating this group of employees and making sure they stay with us. Indeed, we see that not only salary plays a big role but also atmosphere and attention is of great importance and makes for better performance.

As in previous years, a trip to Moldova was planned from Stipt and Schenkeveld. This time I was allowed to go along with my colleagues Bart and Glenn, who are both Team Leaders. Under the guidance of Daniel, who works at Stipt, we are helping to recruit new employees in the country itself. This will help both of us, both Stipt and Schenkeveld, lower the threshold and of course, at the same time, it creates bonding. For new employees, it also ensures less stress during the first working days.

Day 1: 25 years back in time, that was my first impression. Cold winter days, barren cities, big grey concrete communist apartment buildings and lots of nature. My mind went back to Poland of old. During the trip, this among other things did make me feel at home. Our first day was intense. There were 48 potential employees descending on our event. Enthusiastically, they waited for us in the presentation room. Here they hoped to gather enough information and get the green light to leave for the Netherlands. The purpose of our presentation is to give people a good idea of who we are as Schenkeveld and what we can offer. At home, I had already made some nice videos with our current employees, so we could offer a clear explanation and encourage people to join us. Stipt picked up the part about housing, salary and transport. There were many questions, some people had never been abroad before. Then we held interviews on a personal level. We could ask each other questions back and forth. We select employees based on wishes and schedules. We don't want to give people a false impression of the work we offer at Schenkeveld, and we also find it important that employees stay with us for the long term.

While selecting staff, it was a great moment to watch from the sidelines how everything goes on at Stipt in Moldova. The whole programme had been planned to the minute and everything arranged from top to bottom. Iulia, Andrian, Marin, and Emilia had thought of everything. Thus, afterwards, people were informed about our choice and could prepare to leave for the Netherlands. Leonid came to our presentation on Monday 2 December in Moldova and starts with us today, 9 December, which is nice, isn't it? The other selected ones will follow soon. In a very convivial atmosphere, we ended the day with a delicious meal in a nearby restaurant.

The next day, we again gave a presentation and spoke to potential employees. Then we explored a bit of the surrounding area. Cricova, a winery was on the agenda as a highlight. As I hardly drink alcohol myself, I never expected a winery to impress me. But a wonderful underground tour, beautiful surroundings and a few glasses of Prosecco later made me change my mind. It was really incredibly fun and impressive! Then we went on the wine legend trail where we even had to climb a few hills, Turkish baths (Orhei) and bits of history were also part of it. Along the way, we also noticed the poverty, the many small houses.... All this made us think what a beautiful country this is but still with little economic growth. Being allowed to come to the Netherlands to work and earn money is a huge step for them but also an opportunity to augment their well-being.

We ended the day at the home of one of our best collaborators Grigore, where we were welcomed with many wonderful traditional dishes that reminded me of my home. His heavily pregnant wife spent two days in the kitchen preparing everything. Tasting, drinking and eating through everything is expected of guests. The pace is as fast as it is while working, so just fill in what that was like. It was great and for me it was really super fun to see my Dutch colleagues enjoying themselves as well. Partly because of this trip, they also learn to understand and admire the culture and that makes working together nice. Besides everything we do for our potential employees, this trip was also great because we got to know each other better, we got plenty of quality time, a nice combination that benefited us all.

All in all, the trip was successful and we can be proud of the number of new employees selected. Cooperation with our partners continues to grow and together we are working towards a great success!

Because as we say at Schenkeveld; everything that gets attention grows!