Interview: Jolanda Stijger

18 March marks Argos' 24th anniversary and it is therefore an excellent moment to look back on the past few years. What did the organisation look like 24 years ago? What nice moments can we remember? To find out, we talked to a number of colleagues who have been with our organisation for a long time.

Including Jolanda Stijger, one of the longest-serving colleagues at Argos. Jolanda has been working at Argos since 1997 and is active in our financial department.

Can you take us back to the beginning of your career at Argos?
"When I think back to the first years at Argos, it was a very special time. We started with six other colleagues and were based in Honselersdijk. An office with a traditional office layout, desks facing each other with a walkway in the middle and, as always, making an pot of coffee in the morning. Back then, I started in the financial department. I was mainly focused on day-to-day administrative work. In addition, I was already working on optimising certain processes and looking at where we could work more efficiently and where we could implement improvements. It was a really fun period in which we made big and meaningful steps with a small team."

Looking at the personal highlights in your career, what are you most proud of?
"I am especially proud of the personal growth I have experienced within Argos. From the first day at Argos, I have been part of the Argos team and we have had really great moments together. Furthermore, I have managed to master many processes and systems. So much so that I would sometimes know more during an external training than the person who provided the training, because well, in practice things work differently from what is written in the books".

Work satisfaction is very important to us at Argos. How was this in the beginning?
"Besides my administrative work, I used to be busy with many other things, such as the Easter, Sinterklaas and Christmas gifts. Now we have other colleagues for these kinds of projects, but in the early years, I used to wrap the chocolate letters at home, write the poems and did all this with the help of my daughter who firmly believed that we were helping Sinterklaas. Special at Argos was the Christmas gift with the choice envelope or question mark. Together with 5 other colleagues, we chose the "?" and we went on an unforgettable hot air balloon ride. Moments like this cannot be expressed in money and to this day, I still consider it a very special experience. In addition, there was enough room to develop myself within the organisation, which also contributed to the job satisfaction at Argos".

If you could go back to a moment in your Argos career, which year would that have been and why?
"Actually there are several, that's what happens when you have been working somewhere for so long. But let me name two. First of all, the office building where I started. For me, this has been the foundation of where the organisation is now. This is where the plans for the future were made, the basis for the product range determined and the structure of the organisation laid down. An important period for which we worked very hard with a small group of colleagues and I am proud of the result that we have now achieved 24 years down the road.
And secondly, the move to our office at Stationsweg 35. As an organisation, we have moved a number of times, but the move to Stationsweg 35 is the one I remember most. We went from a rather "old" building to a brand new one. At the time, we had a large conference table, for meetings with all the staff, of course. But the room with the large table also served as a place where the staff could gather. A nice place that also functioned as a breakfast table during Christmas breakfast. Having breakfast together with colleagues. Nice moments, that I still have fond memories of".

What has motivated you for 24 years to come to the office with such a drive?
"I still enjoy my work. I really like the variety of work and a lot of value is placed on my input in various areas. Argos is growing as an organisation and it is then harder to maintain the family feel. In the past 24 years at Argos, I have seen many people come and go, experienced good times but also lesser times in which we all had to work really hard to achieve the planned results. Yet within Argos we manage to treat each other with respect, to appreciate each other and to create mutual involvement. Communication is then very important, but not always easy. As we grow, we get more and more new colleagues and it is sometimes difficult to get everyone on the same page, but we always strive for a win/win situation in which everyone feels happy".

If you could describe Argos in one sentence, what would it sound like?
"A wonderful organisation with hardworking and enthusiastic colleagues who, with a good working atmosphere and great pleasure, help our relations further in the field of packaging and protective equipment".

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of this interview?
"If I may take the opportunity, I would like to draw attention to an open vacancy in our department.
We are looking for a financial talent who wants to fully master the administration profession and who we can deploy all-round within our team.
Are you curious and would you like more information about this vacancy? On our vacancy page, you can find more information about the vacancy. Hopefully we will find a new colleague in this way :)".