‘I am proud of myself.’

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

Fine or delicate work
Yvonne started in the packing department, where she filled boxes with chocolates, tea or spices. She now works in the Gevasol department, where she assembles parts for milking robots. That requires a lot of attention.
‘We work there with grease, rubber and Loctite – that’s a kind of glue that hardens at lightning speed,’ she explains. ‘So you have to pay attention to everything. You have to count, check and keep checking.’ That is very important, says Yvonne, ‘because you want to deliver a good product to the customer.’
All that prilling work ‘with those little technique things’ suits her. ‘In my spare time I also do a lot of manual labour, such as crocheting and knitting.’

Mother of the group
In the workplace, Yvonne is a familiar face. ‘I’m actually a bit of the mother of the department, that’s what everyone calls me,’ she says laughing. ‘If there is something, my colleagues will come to me by themselves.’ That has slowly crept in, she thinks. Maybe it’s because I’m a caring type. I originally come from home care. That’s just in me.’
It also works the other way around. ‘If I don’t feel good about myself, I can also have 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 had physical complaints, but she has also experienced depression. In 2018 she had a relapse. ‘So it can happen again,’ she says. To better cope with this, she followed the training ‘From Tension to Relaxation’. She learned to think less negatively and to exercise to relax, for example through breathing exercises.
Because of what she has learned, she is in a good flow. “I’m stable,” she says. “The work itself also contributes to that.” Because work gives structure. This makes her feel better. Thanks to her work and colleagues, her self-image has improved. ‘I’ve had a very low self-esteem for a long time, but that has now improved,’ Yvonne explains. ‘I’m proud of how far I’ve come.’

Keep your eyes open
Although Yvonne feels completely at home in the Gevasol department, she also looks forward. ‘I’m sitting here for the time being,’ she says. “But I’ll keep my eyes open. If a nice job in healthcare comes up, I want to take that opportunity.’ She has the possibilities at Zorghub, a part of Werkse! Focussed on care, already discussed with her supervisor. With her regained self-confidence in her pocket, Yvonne is ready for the next step. ‘I’m looking forward to it again.’