'I receive excellent guidance here!'

Assembly worker Jan van der Helm (65) could no longer function in a regular job due to health reasons. That is why he joined us two years ago Werkse! He landed right away and quickly found his way to Assemblage. He's having a wonderful time there.

"I'm currently assembling motors for household ventilation systems," Jan says with a cheerful twinkle in his eye. "We do all sorts of different jobs, you know, it all works out as it happens. Because I'm currently out of materials, I'm also assembling meter boxes. That's also fun. Assemblage is where I belong."

Training
Jan is really enjoying himself. "Precisely because I have to do the same task over and over again, I feel comfortable. It gives me an overview, and that feels good. And if something doesn't work out, I can always ask the first employee, Stanley; he's always happy to help. I should have come to work here thirty years ago! It's relaxed and peaceful." Speaking of peaceful: Jan recently completed the "From Tension to Relaxation" training with Bob van 't Hof, the vitality coach at Werkse!Yes, I was offered that training because I can get a bit worked up sometimes. In this training, you learn what causes tension and how to relax. You do all sorts of exercises to figure out how those things work for you and how to stay in control. That's really worked well for me—I've become much calmer. I can feel it now when tension rises; that's the perfect moment for me to go outside for a cigarette. Not too often, of course, because then everyone is okay with it.

Good guidance
Jan is in his place at Werkse!"I get excellent guidance here. My managers are very considerate of my capabilities and pay close attention to me." Jan really appreciates that he's being looked after: "Recently, I was a bit late at work because of a pedicure appointment. They've already called me several times to check if there's anything wrong with me. That feels good. And I regularly receive compliments on the work I do. Isn't that nice?"

Respect
Having a job is very important to Jan. 'I'm always happy when it's Monday morning and I can go back to work. But I'm also happy on Friday afternoon that it's the weekend. And in any case, I'm very happy with a company like that Werkse!, where people like me, with the necessary physical and mental challenges, can still make a difference. And receive the respect they deserve.' Jan still has more than two years to go before he retires. Something to look forward to? 'Well, I still enjoy working too much. Otherwise, I'd just sit at home in front of the window. And they can give me any job. I'm fine with anything – whether it's a bit more complicated or very simple, it doesn't matter to me.