Gert van Beelen

What is your role at Heemskerk Flowers?

I am team leader for the flower chiller. That means that I spend a large part of the day managing people. Ultimately it takes all of us to do the job, so I am trying to mould my colleagues into a tightknit team. We have shared objectives, but I also think personal development is important, so I devote time and attention to that as well.

How did you end up at Heemskerk Flowers?

I have always worked in flowers. I joined the sector after finishing secondary school and compulsory military service. After that I really wanted to study, but I needed money. I went to work in the flower industry, and I have never really stopped. Before this I worked at another wholesaler, and ultimately I ended up at Heemskerk Flowers.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

What I most enjoy about my job is achieving results. It makes me very happy if I see that particular targets are being achieved. I have been seeing real progress on that recently. For example, the error percentage is going down, and more picks are being walked every hour. They may seem to be simple things, but when the simple things go well, the day runs a lot more smoothly. That progress is largely due to the fact that we now have a fixed group of colleagues in the flower chiller. That means that we are more of a team, and everyone can depend on each other.

What is the biggest challenge you encounter?

Right from the start, it was creating a permanent structure in the flower chiller. One important element in that structure is that everyone abides by fixed agreements, such as arriving on time and doing your work well. We are now all paying attention to this, and we are seeing a real improvement in that regard. Striving for that improvement makes the job challenging, and also very enjoyable when it works. For now we are striving to push that progress forward and create a tightknit team within the department.

What you like to do in your spare time?

I enjoy cycling. I often do that with a couple of friends on a Saturday. I also like football, and I’m a loyal Rijnsburgse Boys supporter. I attend almost every home match.