I never go to work grumpy

Twelve years ago, Myrna Janse (29) joined us as an intern Werkse! and stayed there immediately. She worked in various departments, was seconded to DSM and IKEA, and finally found her permanent position in the Postal Department.

"Sorting mail, sorting mail, and delivering mail—I enjoy it all," says Myrna. "But delivering the mail, out on my bike, is what I enjoy most. I'm just an outdoors person." A new neighborhood often presents some challenges due to closed streets, rough roads, and unfinished neighborhoods, she says, "but eventually, it always goes smoothly."

Cute
Myrna also enjoys chatting with people here and there. "I often deliver mail to older people, and they enjoy a chat. Recently, when it was so hot, I even put an 85-year-old woman in her wheelchair in the shade while her husband was parking the car. She thought that was very sweet and thanked me enthusiastically. That was a lovely encounter. And later that week, a young girl offered me an ice cream. Isn't that sweet?"

Eager to learn
Myrna starts at 8 a.m. and works until 4:30 p.m. "If we're done earlier, we can sometimes go home earlier. And sometimes there's so much mail that we keep going after 4:30—because it has to be delivered." On average, it takes her two hours to walk a neighborhood. There are also days when she can't fit all the mail for a neighborhood in her bags, so she has to go back in between to pick up the rest.

Everything Myrna can do, she learned on the job. "I learned the most from my manager, Nico Nederpel. But of course, you also learn from your colleagues. You have to be eager to learn to do this job well." The hardest thing she had to learn was sorting mail based on the codes PostNL puts on the envelopes. "Those codes aren't always correct, and then it's a bit of a puzzle. On top of that, there's a lot of time pressure, because the mail has to be delivered on time. But haste makes waste; you're bound to make mistakes. That's why working accurately is so important. Check, check, and double-check."

Friends
Myrna gets along well with her colleagues. "We regularly have a laugh in between, which makes the work enjoyable. We have coffee together, and every now and then Nico organizes an outing for the whole team. A dinner out or a night of bowling. And I also meet some of my colleagues outside of work; they've become friends."

All in all, work is very important to Myrna. "I have a child to care for, so it's nice to have a steady job and income. That's why I wake up happy every morning and never go to work grumpy. Something really has to be happening for me to be grumpy."