'I never go to work grumpy'

Twelve years ago Myrna Janse (29) joined Werkse as an intern! And stayed there immediately. She worked in various departments, was seconded to DSM and IKEA, and eventually found her permanent position at the Post department.

‘Spicking out mail, sorting mail and delivering mail, I do it all with great pleasure’, says Myrna. ‘But delivering the mail, outside on the bike, that’s what I like best to do. I’m just an outdoor person.” A new neighborhood often causes some problems due to closed streets, bad roads and neighborhoods that have not yet been finished, she says, ‘but over time it always goes well.

Sweet
Myrna also likes to chat with people here and there. ‘I often deliver mail to older people and they like to have a chat. The other day, when it was so hot, I put another 85-year-old female in her wheelchair in the shade when her husband was putting the car away. Well, she thought that was very sweet and she thanked me enthusiastically. That was a nice meeting. And later that week I was offered an ice cream by a young girl. Isn’t that cute?’

Eager to learn
Myrna starts at 8 in the morning and continues to work until half past five. ‘If we finish earlier, we can sometimes go home earlier. And sometimes there is so much mail that we continue after half past five – because the mail does have to be delivered.’ On normal days, she spends an average of 2 hours walking around a neighborhood. There are also days when she can’t put all the mail for a neighborhood in her bags, then she has to go back in between to pick up the rest of the mail.

Everything Myrna can do, she learned during her work. ‘I learned most of it from my supervisor, Nico Nederpel. But of course you also learn from your colleagues. You have to be eager to learn to be able to do this job well.’ The most difficult thing she has had to learn is sorting mail using codes that PostNL puts on the envelopes. ‘Those codes are not always correct, and then it is a puzzle. In addition, there is a lot of time pressure on it, because the mail must of course also be delivered on time. But hasty haste is rarely good, then you will make mistakes. That is why accurate work is also very important. Check, check and double check.’

Friends
Myrna is doing well with her colleagues. ‘We regularly have fun in between, which also makes the work fun. We drink coffee together and occasionally Nico organizes an outing with the whole team. Dinner out or a night of bowling. And I also meet up with some colleagues outside of work, who have become friends.’

All in all, the work is very important to Myrna. ‘I have a child to take care of, so it’s nice to have a permanent job and income. That’s why I get up cheerfully every morning, and I never go to work grumpy. Something really has to happen if you want to see me grumpy.’