"Wegens een tekort aan personeel werken wij hier met mensen"

“Due to a shortage of personnel, we work with people”

Ever wondered what it is like to work at TRIMM? A few of our employees (TRIMM’ers) will tell you about their experiences in a series of interviews. Tom Morssink kicks off the series! 
 

What is your job?

"I am a TRIMM employee and responsible for HR. I am also Team lead of almost everybody who concern themselves with overhead. For instance, Finance and Project Administration. I try to make sure that everybody at TRIMM can work comfortably. At TRIMM, we operate in multidisciplinary teams and I try to help these teams function properly. Because management is transferring more and more responsibilities to the teams, I must get creative in this role. That makes my job a daily challenge."
 

What do you like about your job?

"It may sound weird, but I think the unpredictability is one of the best things about my job. You never know what the day will bring. We don’t work with policy intentions. There is a lot of room for ideas and if I think of something today, I could realize it tomorrow. Together with colleagues, I have the opportunity to implement something and evaluate subsequently if it was a right move for TRIMM. “To do” is the creed!"
 

Can you give us an example?

"For example, we abolished performance appraisals last year. In a lot of organizations, employees experience these as a show and that is just a waste of time. A performance appraisal is a snapshot and I think personal development should be a continuous process. Besides, a manager might not always be present and therefore not always the right person to give feedback. This is why we transferred the appraisals to the teams last year. I also try to motivate people to talk to each other when something is going on – something positive or something negative, in stead of only addressing these issues in formal conversations."
 

When do you go home feeling good?

"I go home feeling good when I have accomplished many different things, created movement and connections. Those are key words for me. Do you know what I mean by that?
You create movement by letting employees think for themselves by asking them questions. For example: What do I want to do in my career? How can my team function better? An essential part of HR is asking questions. This way people don’t stagnate but keep thinking about development. With connections I mean connections between people within TRIMM. People tend to focus on their own work or exclusively the work in their team. But you learn more if you involve each other. Our way of working in the teams (agile) is based on that. Our beautiful premises also invites to meet each other."
 

What is the best memory you have of your time at TRIMM so far?

"That would be the parties. The 80’s and 90’s party was great. We did a pillow fight last year, that was a lot of fun too! I can also enjoy questions students ask which make my colleagues think. Due to our breeding ground PIT, we always have critical students around who keep us on our toes."

What distinguishes TRIMM from other employers?

"Everybody is relatively approachable and lines between co-workers are short. We work in a beautiful building and there are all kinds of facilities to enable you to work to the best of your abilities. We don’t do complicated procedures or working on the clock and we don’t have a dress code. You can be yourself. This became clear to me when I just started working here: one of the managing directors walked in on her bare feet with her dog. I really like that. The staff association “Connect” is also something I want to mention. It is a very active association which organizes many different events each year. For example, an Easter Brunch, Oktoberfest, a variety evening and the annual Christmas Dinner.

An intern once pitched the slogan “Due to a shortage of personnel, we work with people”. I really related to that. At TRIMM you are somebody, they know you and you can be you."

Interested in an internship, graduation project or (part-time) job at TRIMM? Take a look at our vacancies or send in an open application!