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Life as it is: a month as a job student at Greenhouse!
03 September 2019 | Greenhouse BXL
Lorna and Niels joined our team as motivated all-rounders. They had summer jobs at Greenhouse and had the time of their lives…
The summer holidays are not a time for all students to put their feet up for two (or even three) months. Some want to earn a little extra money, gain experience or expand their network with the help of a summer job. At Greenhouse, we were able to call such workhorses our colleagues for a month. Lorna and Niels joined our team as motivated all-rounders.
LORNA’S STORY: FROM PICKING UP THE “SELFOON” TO CHECKING THE “E-POS”. MOENI WORRIE NIE!
Strange title? Yes, we know that. “Selfoon” and “E-pos” are respectively “telephone” and “email” in Afrikaans. “Moeni worrie nie”: mustn’t worry, everything will be fine. Lorna lived in South Africa for six months and then flew straight to our Greenhouse hubs. As a student of International Business and Trade at Thomas More, she has personally built up a backpack full of talent (with her own swimming club as the icing on the talent cake). For a whole month, she added even more to her backpack with experiences from Greenhouse Mechelen and Brussels. This is what her month looked like…
GETTING USED TO A NEW ENVIRONMENT AND COMING HOME IN ONE DAY!
On my first day at work, I felt like on my first day at school: awkward and nervous but so enthusiastic and curious about what was in store for me. The stress and the uncomfortable feeling quickly disappeared when I met my colleagues Mana and Bert. They couldn’t have welcomed me any better. Mana immediately gave me a tour and told me all the inside information I needed to function in this beautiful co-working space. There was a lot all at once: new people, customers and colleagues. I soon had the hang of my work and felt like a true Greenhouse colleague!
My job responsibilities? Well, they were really quite extensive. I prepared customer files, arranged and conducted interviews about food satisfaction, and so much more. After my first week in Mechelen, I went to Brussels, where I was once again given a fantastic welcome by Hospitality Assistant Anneleen. And then that building: wow! So incredibly beautiful there. I think every company wants to work in such a great environment.
A list of responsibilities during my internship? Here they are:
- Preparing a manual for the Greenhouse app
- Drawing up and translating brochures, texts, instructions and emails
- Setting up schedules
- Responding to emails
- Drawing up quotations
- Preparing meeting rooms
- Taking notes during meetings
My summer was fantastic. And that is partly thanks to the pleasant working atmosphere and colleagues at Greenhouse. I advise everyone to work at Greenhouse: as a co-worker, in a serviced office or as a permanent employee.
After Lorna left, Niels came to help. He also wanted to earn a little extra during the summer.
NIELS’ STORY: THE WORKING STUDENT WHO DIDN’T FEEL LIKE A WORKING STUDENT.
As a Master’s student of law, Niels was looking for a challenging summer job. In addition to “Hospitality” tasks, we also gave him quite a few legal assignments at Greenhouse. He said that he didn’t even feel like a working student, but a full-fledged team member. And we share that feeling. Greenhouse Mechelen or Brussels: Niels certainly can’t choose. This is how his month went…
ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST GOOD IMPRESSION!
First impressions are always important. Greenhouse BXL was overwhelming in that regard. I felt welcome here from my very first day. Both the infectious enthusiasm of the Greenhouse team and the inspirational interior gave me confidence in the rest of my stay at Greenhouse. “If this is going to be my workstation for this month, it’s going to be OK,” I thought.
The Greenhouse hubs offer the perfect combination of effort and relaxation. On the one hand, there are the offices, meeting rooms and co-working spaces where you are in a professional working environment with everything you need. On the other hand, there are various leisure facilities such as the gym with showers or the Playstation in the flex area. However, the showpiece of Greenhouse BXL is the Auditorium. A modern, comfortable auditorium most Flemish universities would dream of.
Every day during my month as a working student, I saw people who came here for the first time and looked around in amazement for several minutes. What struck me fairly quickly is that everyone walks around there in a friendly and relaxed way. I think the Atrium, the entrance hall of Greenhouse BXL, plays a major role in this. The entrance gives you an overwhelming feeling of space and natural beauty. This is the ideal cure for the stress and anxiety that often come with business life.
In addition, all credit must also be given to the Hospitality Assistants. Tess and Anneleen are an inexhaustible source of positivism, and all problems are solved with a smile at the reception. I also worked at the reception desk for a few weeks, and they helped me tremendously. For the first few days, I mainly had to learn about the tasks of the Hospitality Assistant, after which it was up to me. One of the great advantages of my month as a working student is that I never felt like a working student. I felt like a full member of the Greenhouse team thanks to certain responsibilities assigned to me.
During the first period, I mainly sat at the reception desk, one week with Tess and the other week with Anneleen. Because I could regularly take over from them at the reception desk, they had the time and the peace to work on their own projects. I also got to know our facility coordinator Patricia better during that time. She is, without a doubt, one of the driving forces behind Greenhouse. After that, I also worked on plans and took on legal tasks.
I also went to Greenhouse Mechelen. As a result, I immediately noticed that the enthusiasm in Greenhouse Diegem was no coincidence. What struck me here is how much the building and the way it is divided differed from that of Greenhouse Brussels. These different hubs each have their own unique character while keeping the Greenhouse vibe.
THANKS, LORNA AND NIELS! YOU GUYS WERE FANTASTIC.