No two weeks are the same. That may well be the best way to sum up the work of our Junior HR Advisor Ilva. Just over six months ago, she applied for the position of HR Officer. After two interviews, it quickly became clear: “I clicked with my colleagues right away.” After six months as HR Officer, she moved into her current role as Junior HR Advisor.
A week full of variety
Ilva’s working day usually starts at around 8:00 am and ends at around 4:30 pm. What happens in between differs from day to day. “You never know what the day will bring,” she says. “It depends entirely on the questions we get from employees and managers.”
Still, there are a few fixed moments. The week starts on Monday with the HR weekly kick-off. Together with the team in Sint Jansteen, she goes through all ongoing matters for St. Paul and ERU, such as absence cases, open vacancies and employees joining or leaving the company. Late on Monday afternoon, there is often a meeting with the occupational physician about absence cases and next steps. On Mondays and Thursdays, she is also in close contact with Tamara Middelkoop, HR Advisor in Woerden. Throughout the week, she coordinates with her direct colleagues Elien and Amian.
On Tuesdays, there is often a meeting with the team in Lokeren, attended by Anja from HR, the manager of Technical Services/Production and the Plant Manager, among others. On Wednesdays or Thursdays, Ilva occasionally works at ERU. Those days mainly revolve around discussing payroll processing at ERU and holding meetings with ERU employees. On Fridays, she has a one-to-one with her manager Tamara, in which they discuss ongoing topics and questions and brainstorm together. She rounds off every week with Friday afternoon drinks with her colleagues in Sint Jansteen.
In between these fixed meetings, Ilva conducts job interviews together with managers and sits in on absence meetings and performance reviews. She also keeps track of several mailboxes: her own, the HR mailboxes of Sint Jansteen and ERU, and the recruitment mailboxes of both locations.
She also drafts addenda, employment contracts, official letters and employer’s statements. She answers questions about leave, handles applications to the UWV (the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency), plans training courses and certificate renewals, and takes care of internal communication. In addition, she contributes to the payroll administration. For example, she processes salary and job changes and calculates items such as shift allowances and wage supplements.
Alongside all the day-to-day HR work, HR also organises various occasions for the entire organisation. Ilva helps plan service anniversary celebrations, arrange gifts for the holiday season and organise events such as the company barbecue.
A close-knit and informal organisation
“Very informal” is how Ilva describes the atmosphere within the organisation. “Everyone knows each other and sees each other regularly. If you have a question, you just pop into someone’s office.” At lunchtime, the team often goes for a walk and has lunch together. “That really creates a close-knit feeling.”
According to her, that personal atmosphere is also what sets St. Paul apart from other companies. “Even though the company is quite large, it doesn’t feel distant. People take a genuine interest in each other.” She also values the breadth of her work. “At many companies, HR tasks are spread across different roles. Here, you deal with recruitment, absence, payroll administration, employee meetings and much more. Because we also handle all HR matters for ERU, you work with different locations and teams. That means you learn an incredible amount in a short time.”
Fulfilment and ambition
What gives her the most satisfaction? “That in HR you can really make a difference for someone. That can be something small, like a question about leave or salary, but also something bigger, like helping someone through an absence case or a difficult conversation.” She doesn’t have one particular highlight. “I especially enjoy it when, at the end of the week, I feel that I’ve been able to solve a lot and have helped people move forward.”
Ilva has clear plans for the future. She wants to become increasingly independent, advise managers on staffing issues and gain more experience with complex conversations, such as absence and conflict meetings. In time, she hopes to grow into a full HR Advisor role.
Swapping places with R&D for a day
If she could swap jobs for a day, she would love to join Research & Development. “From HR, you do get a sense of what’s going on, but in R&D you’re actually developing and improving products. I’d love to see how that process works, from the very first idea all the way to testing. That’s a completely different side of the company.”
Outside of work
In her spare time, Ilva plays padel, goes running and goes for walks with friends. At weekends, she can often be found on a café terrace with friends or her boyfriend, or they go out for dinner. She also loves taking her dog to the beach and going on holiday somewhere sunny. At the moment, she and her boyfriend are viewing houses, as they are looking to buy their first home. “Such an exciting time!”
Her favourite cheese is a perfect match for St. Paul: Camembert. “Especially baked in the oven!” 🧀