“I had already been working as a driver at another transport company for a while when I was loaned out to De Boer. And I liked it straight away. I really loved the working atmosphere. Informal, relaxed. Luckily, De Boer also wanted to hire me, so before I knew it, I had signed my contract here.”

That pleasant, informal atmosphere doesn’t mean people aren’t working hard. “Of course, the work still needs to get done, but everything happens in a very easygoing way. I’m also kept well informed about the transports I need to carry out, and if anything changes, I get notified in time. That way, I always know what to expect. On Fridays, we always have a beer together. Even the management joins in. Because we’re all on equal footing, and everyone’s effort is appreciated. We’re now a company with around 150 employees. And of course, not everyone is family. But you always feel like you’re part of the family.”

Another thing Simon notices is that there is very little turnover. “At many companies, you see people wanting something different after a few years. But that’s not the case here. People generally stay with us for a long time. We’ve seen many anniversaries go by. And the younger employees also stick around. We manage to retain them well. And that’s unique. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that you get a lot of opportunities at De Boer. If you want a different position and you’ve got what it takes, you can definitely take steps forward.”

Simon continues: “Whether I ever considered leaving? Well, actually no. You sometimes hear that the grass is greener at another company. But trust me, you won’t find it greener anywhere else.”