‘I have always wanted to work with many different cultures, and ynvolve was exactly what I was looking for. ‘
She’s from Veghel, Brabant. A small town in North Brabant, very charming, nothing wrong with it, says Eefje van der Gronden (24), but she knew from a young age that she wanted to go to a bigger city. Via an internship at bed manufacturer Emma in Frankfurt, her studies in International Business and Languages led her to ynvolve in Nijmegen. She was an intern here initially, but she stuck around. And Nijmegen may not be the largest city in the Netherlands. Still, bigger is not necessary when you work at ynvolve, says Eefje, thanks to the company’s international character – without exaggerating too much, we can say that Eefje, as a Dutch person, is a minority at ynvolve. A perfect fit, according to Eefje: ‘I have always wanted to work with many different cultures – it is not without reason that I studied International Business and Languages. Ynvolve was exactly what I was looking for.‘
During her internship, Eefje found out what it means to work daily as a Dutch person in such an international environment: ‘Like many Dutch people, I am quite direct. In addition, I am quite organized: I like to plan things well in advance. I soon discovered that these are typically Dutch qualities – and not everyone appreciates them. You learn from that because I now understand that I have to be very clear in my communication. And I am now even more aware that colleagues from other cultures find me direct. For example, if any of my colleagues ask for my opinion, they will definitely get it! However, I’m careful in communicating with my colleagues and have learned to maneuver better. That does not mean I must constantly walk on my toes in our offices: I see it mainly as a continuous learning process.‘
A learning process, Eefje says, that not only has advantages for ynvolve employees but also has an impact on (potential) customers: ‘When I compare our teams with those of competitors at an event or trade fair, it is immediately noticeable that we are different – in a positive way. Once you meet us, you won’t soon forget us. I’m not just talking about how we look – we’re more into sneakers and sweaters than blouses and dress shoes – but also about our branding and culture. For example, nine times out of ten, we can approach companies in their own language. And because we have people from so many countries, we often know a little better than our competitors what the market is actually like in a particular country and how we can best approach people. We are less concerned with looking as prestigious as possible; we mainly spend our time on the customer. Looking for solutions, doing what we are good at.’
So, working in a company with only Dutch people is not an option for you?
‘If I‘m perfectly honest, not really. I prefer to have a chance to learn more from other cultures while working, which will help me learn more about myself. And in the two years I have been working at Ynvolve, I have noticed that that is the case. My style of communication has changed, for instance. This is not only because I deal with people from different cultures daily, but also because we have a lot of freedom here. I can do anything and try things as long as I can explain what I do is relevant and show it’s beneficial. And where in other companies you sometimes have to wait three weeks before you receive an answer from the right person, at ynvolve it is often arranged within a few days. So, if you are worried about a project, and need some help with it, it will be there in no time. But more often I arrange it myself, precisely because I have so much freedom: that makes you want to ace it, do it perfectly. Another advantage: this degree of freedom makes you more independent and confident faster. I now know where the company wants to go and where I want to go. ‘
So, ynvolve is the best company in the world.
Laughing: ‘I’m really happy at ynvolve. And of course, we also never stop learning. We have come a long way as a company, but we too could, for example, let go of stereotypical thoughts about other cultures. This is never actually about negative things, but during meetings, people (myself included) sometimes joke about ‘those Dutch’ or ‘those French’. Funnily, there is no harm behind it, but I think we could focus even more on who we are instead of where we come from. It’s not just about culture, but also about your personality as well.’
