I am proud of myself.

Yvonne de Groen (54) has been working in the Assembly department for a number of years. Here she has regained her self-confidence. Now that she feels better, she is open to moving on to another nice job in the future.

Fiddly work
Yvonne started in the packing department, where she filled boxes with chocolates, tea, or herbs. She now works in the Gevasol department, where she assembles parts for milking robots. This requires a lot of attention to detail. 'We work with grease, rubber, and Loctite there – that is a type of glue that hardens incredibly fast,' she explains. 'So you have to pay attention to everything. You have to count, check, and keep checking.' That is very important, Yvonne says, 'because you want to deliver a good product to the customer.' She enjoys all that fiddling 'with those little technical gadgets.' 'In my free time, I also do a lot of needlework, such as crocheting and knitting.'

Mother of the group
Yvonne is a familiar face in the workplace. "I'm actually a bit of the mother of the department; that's what everyone calls me," she says with a laugh. "If there's anything wrong, my colleagues come to me automatically." She thinks that has gradually become part of it. "Maybe it's because I'm a caring type. I originally come from home care. It's just in my nature." It works the other way around too. "If I'm not feeling well, I can handle less," Yvonne admits. Fortunately, there is a lot of understanding for that. "We have a nice group."

Work takes care of her
Yvonne has not only experienced physical ailments, but she has also gone through depression. In 2018, she had a relapse. 'So it can happen again,' she says. To cope better with this, she took the 'From Tension to Relaxation' training. She learned to think less negatively and exercises to relax, for example through breathing exercises. Thanks to what she has learned, she is in a good position. flow'I am stable,' she says. 'The work itself contributes to that as well.' Because working provides structure. As a result, she feels better. Thanks to her work and colleagues, her self-image has improved. 'I had very low self-esteem for a long time, but that has improved now,' Yvonne explains. 'I am proud of how far I have come.'

Keep your eyes open
Although Yvonne feels completely at home in the Gevasol department, she is also looking ahead. 'I feel at home here for the time being,' she says. 'But I am keeping my eyes open. If a nice job in healthcare comes along, I want to seize that opportunity.' She has the opportunities at Zorghub, a part of Werkse! focused on care, already discussed with her support worker. With her regained self-confidence in hand, Yvonne is ready for the next step. 'I'm looking forward to it again.'