More than 180 employees will be heading to Venice in April as Employees of the Year 2022. DHL wants to celebrate their achievements. On the programme: a boat trip, tastings, yoga, creative workshops, gala dinners, and so much more. The trip is all about Health & Wellbeing. Visitors will be staying in a luxurious five-star hotel.
Els Taymans, Anaïs Mercken and Sheila Pinna will be joining from Belgium. So this year’s Employees of the Year 2022 are power women, each with their own story and experiences within the DPDHL Group. We got to know them a little better and asked them what this award means to them.
Tell us a little bit more about yourself. What is your role at DHL Express?
Els Taymans: “I have been working at the HR Department of DHL Express for 15 years now. As a Compensation & Benefits Coordinator, I’m responsible for everything related to payroll, extra-legal and other benefits.”
Anaïs Mercken: “Eight years ago, I applied at DHL Express for the first time. My application was not retained back then. However, I was very motivated to join the Big Yellow Machine. So a few years later, I tried again. I had better luck the second time. I started as Key Account Advisor at Customer Service. 3,5 years later I’m still enjoying everything the position has to offer. So you see: persistence pays off.”
Sheila Pinna: “I started working as a courier 8 years ago. Recently, I worked at Dispatch for 7 months. Now I’m Transport Coordinator.”
Why did you choose DHL Express?
Els: “DHL Express is part of such a dynamic sector, which offers a lot of challenges. When I applied, I was interviewed by the team I would be part of. There was an instant connection: I felt very welcome. That really made a difference for me when I chose DHL Express.”
Anaïs: “For me, career advan;cement was extremely important. Even if you’re part of a big company, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have the chance to further develop your career. At DHL, however, I felt that there were many possibilities. Everyone was also very transparent during my recruitment.”
Sheila: “Career development was also essential to me. My path from courier to Transport Coordinator shows that it really is possible to give a different direction to your career in just a couple of years. I’m very thankful they gave me that chance.”
How does DHL differentiate itself from other employers?
Sheila: “The company cares about more than work. They are very aware of the importance of health and wellbeing. Events such as Family Day fit into that mindset. It’s very powerful that there is room for who you are as a person, and everyone who’s part of who you are.”
Anaïs: “DHL is also very visible in daily life. By being a main sponsor of events such as Ekiden, the company shows that it wants to be connected with society.”
Els: “For me, it’s mainly the way we interact with each other: everyone is so approachable. It’s really remarkable, especially for such a big company, how easy-going people are with one another.”
Why do you think you’re Employee of the Year? And what does this prize mean to you?
Sheila: “I think my collegues noticed my motivation. When they told me I made it to Employee of the Year, I first thought it was a joke.
When my manager, the operations director and the CEO congratulated me, I realized it was true. It was great to be recognized for my hard work.”
Els: “It’s beautiful that I know who nominated me: a colleague from a different department. It really meant a lot to me. It’s great to get recognition from colleagues from other departments; It really makes you feel like you can make a difference to someone. It’s such a nice pat on the back, and of course an extra motivation.”
Anaïs: “I have been nominated a couple of times. I don’t really know what made a difference this time. I’ve always gone that extra mile for my customers, maybe that made an impact. It’s really hard to say. I was shocked when I got the news, of course in a positive way. Secretly, it has always been my ambition to win an award. When I became Employee of the Quarter, that already made an impression on me. To be part of the group Employees of the Year 2022, really exceeded my expectations. Of course it’s great to receive this award, but there are so many other colleagues who are just as deserving.”
Which advice would you like to give to colleagues who also have the ambition to become Employee of the Year?
Sheila: “I think the most important thing is that you stay true to who you are. And… if you do your best, it will be noticed by others.”
Anaïs and Els: “We can only affirm that. Be yourself, keep doing your best and don’t lose your motivation. Sometimes small things can make a big difference.”
You’re going to Venice for four days, with more than a hundred other Employees of the Year 2022. What are you looking forward to the most?
Anaïs: “I look forward to the Italian cooking workshop, which I’ll be doing together with Sheila. Apart from that, there are a lot of parties to look forward to: DHL’s Got Heart (where we’ll make a large donation to charity), an award show with gala dinner …”
Sheila: “I’m looking forward to that as well. The whole trip is going to be an unique experience. I think it’s hard to pick just one activity.”
Els: “It’s really special that we can make a trip that has been organized for us. The trip focuses on Health & Wellbeing. I’m looking forward to the yoga initiation. I’ve been wanting to try yoga for such a long time, and this trip proves to be the perfect time to give it a try.
Apart from that, it’s going to be great to meet people from other countries. I think it will be very interesting to learn more about their working habits, how they handle certain projects, how they view certain topics. We are always so focused on how everything works here. It’s thrilling to know that this trip will provide us with new insights. Being part of an international global company really has a lot of benefits.”
About the employees of the year awards
Every year, employees can nominate their Employee of the Year. The Employees of the Year 2022 are DHL Express employees who have distinguished themselves uniquely within the DPDHL Group. They do everything they can to contribute to the company’s success. And they do this while applying our core values: speed, passion, can do and right the first time. These values ensure that we systematically offer customers the best service and we continuously strive to improve our services.
Do you want to be part of your Big Yellow Machine and become Employee of the Year?
View our job vacancies.
