CLEANING STAFF

A sink full of dirty cups and saucers is no problem at all for these heroes. 'Everyone is always happy when everything is clean and tidy again.'

Martine van der Deijl Photography: NoPoint studio's

Dishwasher (23) at Hotel Nijmegen - Lent

"I am a real morning person, the earlier the better. That's why I prefer working during the day rather than in the evening. Around 9 o'clock, I start with the dishwashing machine in the kitchen. And if necessary, I also help the chefs with mise-en-place tasks. That way I learn something new as well. It makes the work very diverse. I work in the heart of the company: the kitchen. Everyone comes in and out there and chats with each other."

With my colleagues, I have contact throughout the whole day, which is very pleasant. They truly feel like family to me. That's why I wanted to share something very personal with them last year. I am in the process of transitioning from female to male. It's an intensive journey, and I believe it's important for my colleagues to be aware of it. I initially told my supervisors about it. They reacted very positively, and I felt very supported. Shortly after, I posted a video message in our Van der Valk group explaining the situation. All my colleagues responded very well to it. I only received positive feedback, which feels incredibly good. In my opinion, it truly reflects the company culture of Van der Valk.

Some colleagues are naturally curious about what such a process looks like. I understand that very well. I am always open to answering their questions. I am very grateful for all the lovely people around me. Working here in the hotel feels like a warm bath.

WORKING HERE FEELS LIKE A WARM BATH

A while ago, in November 1994, I started working as a breakfast cook at Hotel Nuland-’s-Hertogenbosch. Unfortunately, I experienced a burnout in 2011. Luckily, I was able to continue working at the hotel, but in a different position, namely in the dishwashing area. And I still enjoy it very much. Most colleagues are happy when everything is fresh and clean again. That is of course very nice and satisfying. I am a very tidy person myself; I always have the urge to tidy up. I find social hygiene very important, for guests, colleagues, and also for myself.

A nice perk of my job is that I never have to set my alarm clock, because I start at 2 pm. I also don't have to cook at home; during the break, I eat a meal prepared by the chefs together with my colleagues. And if a mistake is made in the kitchen with a certain dish, we get to eat it! I once jokingly said: "You can make mistakes more often, haha!" I am hard of hearing, and when I meet a new colleague, I always explain how they can best communicate with me. That is of course a bit different than usual. When someone looks at me, I can lip-read, so that works fine. Yelling definitely doesn't help. I also often say: "My ears are broken, but otherwise I'm just a human like everyone else!"

Lilian (55) Dishwasher at Hotel Nuland - 's-Hertogenbosch

I ALWAYS HAVE THE URGE TO CLEAN UP

Stéfanie (37) Dishwasher at Hotel Venlo

"I started in the housekeeping department of the hotel. I enjoyed it, but it was difficult to combine with finding a babysitter for my children. With three little boys at home, Lodewijk (4) and the twins Floris and Reinier (2), as a single mother, I am quite busy and try to plan everything as best as I can. A very good friend of mine is happy to babysit, but he can only do it in the evenings. That's why I switched from housekeeping to dishwasher; now I work evening shifts, so it's perfect."

Before I worked at Van der Valk, I worked in construction. Something completely different, but both require hard work. I enjoy working with my hands and I like to get things done. That comes in handy here in the kitchen. When I start at 4 p.m., the countertop is usually full of cups and saucers. I clean them up right away because I really like structure and a tidy workspace. So, in that sense, they have a good one in me! The busiest part of this job is what I like the most about my work. I briefly worked in housekeeping and in the dishwashing area. That was quite tough.

One day, I was incredibly tired because I had a very bad night due to my children being awake a lot. After work, I walked to my locker to get my things. And suddenly I saw that all lockers were open! Oh no, I thought, everything is gone! My car keys were in the locker and I thought they had disappeared. I panicked. My manager thought: what is happening here? In the end, it turned out that one locker was indeed locked; mine... Due to tiredness, I just couldn't see it all. Fortunately, there was ultimately nothing wrong. It was really a panic over nothing. Luckily, we were able to laugh about it afterwards.