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Employee interview: Jolanda Willems

Employee interview: Jolanda Willems

Posted on 4 May 2022

Name: Jolanda Willems
Position: General Employee
Branch: WKK Nederland

1. Every year, WKK organizes a weekend trip for the employees. Which weekend has been your favorite so far?

Yes, that is something I organize. From pitching the idea to Ward and Jozef, to organizing it all. Due to the enthusiasm of our employees it has been a success every year, even with my sometimes not so standard program: strange workshops, or organizing a play. We trust each other in that the weekend will be a success. But naming a favourite weekend trip? I can’t!

2. Wanneer vond het eerste weekend plaats? When did the first WKK weekend take place?

The weekends originated from celebrating turnover milestones / celebrating business going well: when we reached the first 1000 guilder in turnover, Ward, Jozef, Joke and I went out for dinner to celebrate. At the end of that year, we went to Centerparcs for a weekend together, including Jeffrey and Franny. The thought behind this: thanking everyone for their effort is still very relevant – apart from the anniversary celebrations.

3. How many WKK weekends have take place so far?

We have missed two years so far: last year due to COVID and 2008, due to the recession: even though our numbers were good, we did not find it appropriate to celebrate while we also had to lay some employees off.

4. Which places/countries have been visited through the years?

We have, among others, visited London, Paris, Berlin, Düsseldorf, York, Lissabon, The Hague, Disneyland Paris, Budapest, we have had the anniversary celebrations at WKK Netherlands, WKK GmbH and WKK Poland, and we have visited houses and parks in the Netherlands and Germany.

5. Which activities have been undertaken during the trips?

During city trips, there was always a tour through the city, we visited a play and we of course had the shared dinners, where we could catch up.

During the weekends in parks and/or houses, we often had sporting activities and quiz nights. These weekends we often the weekends which included not only the partners, but also the children (up to 18 years old).

This started because we also took our children with us, and could also offer our employees a weekend away. Due to WKK growing and growing, we at a certain point decided to leave the children at home, because they left too much of a mark on the weekends. There were also employees without children, and a lot of parents appreciated a weekend away from home, without their children.

6. Is there a place where you would like to organize a WKK weekend?

A new destination has my preference, but the logistics have to decide whether or not this is possible: we have to bring 4 groups from different countries together at the same place, at the same time. But whether or not I already have plans, I would not give them away!