New start as a hostess at Woonbron

Sandra Duijvestijn stopped working 24 years ago after having children. Since the beginning of this year, she has been working as a hostess at Woonbron. Sandra and her supervisor Mieke de Goed tell how this goes during a knowledge meeting of Werkwaardig, an initiative of Werkse!

The first days
Sandra ended up at Werkse! via the municipality of Delft. She was eager to get back to work. She first started accruing hours at Werkse! itself. And in February, she started working as a hostess at Woonbron. “The first days were deadly and terrifying. I didn’t really know what I wanted and what suits me. But I work with really nice people.”

Space
Mieke de Goed, Sandra’s supervisor at Woonbron: “I took Sandra through the work process, with space for her own choices: what do you want, what don’t you want.” Sandra complements Mieke: “I soon noticed that I like working in a separate room, with not too much noise around me. This way I take the steps myself.” Mieke: “We have regular conversations about how things are going. Sometimes they are also awkward conversations. That is also part of it. For me, it’s also a nice learning process.”

Growth
Meanwhile, Sandra has now been working at Woonbron for eight months. “Sandra has grown tremendously. Being more upfront, telling her story, is a great example of that.” Sandra recognises that. “I always wanted to be there for others and put myself second.” The growth has been gradual. “You enter a strange organisation. And you get to know people slowly. It takes time.”

This conversation took place at a knowledge meeting for employers of Werkwaardig, an initiative of Werkse!