What do I find important in work? What do I look for in an employer? Those questions led Jolien to The Hague University of Applied Sciences after a literal as well as a figurative detour. ‘What I like so much here is that there is constant movement. There are many developments and I am asked to actively think along with them. Managers are open to my expertise and I feel I am really contributing something!’
During a three-month journey, the penny dropped for Jolien, she says. ‘I have a passion for development and growth. So what better place to work than education? First I looked around at secondary schools, but I found that too small-scale. THUAS has the perfect size for me. Because it is on a larger scale, a lot happens and I have to deal with many different people. But at the same time, my department is small enough to really be part of a team. At my old employer, I didn’t even know a quarter of the HRM department!’
As HR Business Partner, Jolien often consults with managers, at operational level as well as tactically and strategically. ‘Then I look with programme managers at developments in education and the professional field. What jobs and competences will we need in five years’ time? How can we anticipate this now, for instance by training employees? But also: what makes THUAS a great employer and where can we go the extra mile? I get very happy with solutions that are good for both the organisation and the employees, and ultimately for the student as well. I also really experience that as the culture here: people are particularly motivated to help each other and work together.’
No matter how many different degree programmes and departments she deals with, Jolien encounters collegiality and approachability throughout the organisation. ‘And what is also nice’, she continues, ’you get a lot out of the student experience. In the Atrium, for example, you regularly see great student initiatives, which really inspire me! For me, the student experience is a very important and formative period in a person’s life. Very cool to get that feeling from the sidelines, even though I don’t work directly with students. It really is a job in the middle of society.’
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