Name: Mattanja Vogel
Track: General Management
Studied: Public Administration: Management and Leadership
Trainee year: 2020
A diary of my first week
My first week at NN feels like months ago. Not because the time passed by so slow, but because so much has happened. First of all, because of the Corona situation, we had to start
working from home. However this did not mean that I had to sit still behind my desk with
my home-brewed coffee. The first week was all about meeting the company, new
colleagues, the business, and familiarize myself with my assignment. Time flies when you
are having fun!
How to start?
My first assignment is in the business of Schade & Inkomen, in the HR team of HCS, an NN
brand acquired in 2019. HCS is a provider of services and solutions in the field of risk and
case management for absenteeism and disability. The focus of my assignment is on the
merger of HCS and Keerpunt. Sounds exciting right, but where do I start?
My first day started with online meetings. First with the HR team, and then with other
people in the company. The rest of the week was filled with online meetings that my
manager had arranged. I got to know people from all over the company who told me about
themselves, their work, and how they can help when my team has questions. My week in
short: online coffee, taking lots of notes, and asking questions. Lots and lots of questions!
Can you help me?
Not only questions towards my colleagues, but also my buddy. During the Traineeship, you
are assigned to a current trainee, who will be your buddy. Buddies can help you with
navigating through the Traineeship and your assignment, but also for a nice conversation
and connecting you to helpful people. My buddy also started her new assignment at HCS in
September. She helped me with providing information about what I can expect of my first
week and simpler questions as to where I can find someone from IT to help me with
technical questions. Starting at a new job is always a bit scary, but with the help of my
buddy, manager, and colleagues my first week was a blast!
Let’s go!
So what’s next? I learned from my first week that everyone within the company is willing to
answer questions about HCS and the merger with Keerpunt. During this week, I already
scheduled several meetings with colleagues to meet them. My manager also informed me
about the meeting at Keerpunt we would attend. Here we discussed the steps for the
integration of Keerpunt at HCS and what is expected from HR in the coming months. But after the first week, there is way more to come. I already had my first training at De
Baak, recruitment events, and expanded my network by meeting with Maurice Koopman,
CEO of Schade & Inkomen. At March 1, I started my second assignment at Life: Pensioen
New Business, within the pension agreement. My project focusses on new propositions to
respond to opportunities from the pension agreement. I am excited to learn about the
strategy of Life for the pension agreement and how we, together with the involved labels,
translate the opportunities from the pension agreement into actions.
Are you excited to also work at a place where you matter? Look at the NN website for more
information, or contact me if you have any questions:
Mattanja.vogel@nn-group.com
Mattanja Vogel | LinkedIn
