Having fun is having quality: the CSi project team
29 abril 2024
CSi 60: the solution for productivity excellence
6 junio 2024
For colleagues, by colleagues
"You spend more time with your colleagues than with your partner," an expression that may well be true. So it is all the more important to enjoy yourself with your colleagues too. At CSi, we believe that as a company, you should facilitate moments where employees can socialise informally, and our staff association supports that. Throughout the year, activities outside of work are organised by colleagues, for colleagues, for that enjoyable, informal togetherness. Henk Krijnen, Sales Analyst, who has been working at CSi for eight years and has been a member of the staff association for 1,5 years already, will take us through it.
Activities throughout the year
"The outside of work activities from CSi itself and from the staff association are spread across the year, mostly taking place in spring and during the December holidays. CSi itself organises the Easter brunch, Sinterklaas, and the Christmas breakfast. They also organise an after-holiday BBQ in September, jubilee celebration, and this year, the 60th-anniversary celebration.
From the staff association, we generally have three set moments: the carnival celebration in February, the pre-summer BBQ, and the end-of-year event. The carnival celebration is a drinks and food gathering before carnival, and hotchpotch is always served. The pre-summer BBQ is themed, previous editions were, for example, Mexican and American, this year we're doing a German theme. The end-of-year event varies per year. Two years ago, we went to Tilburg with all colleagues for a city scavenger hunt followed by a party night, which was the reason for me to join the staff association. And last year we went to the cinema with partners for a sneak preview of Willy Wonka.
As an extra, we also provide pastries for everyone with the annual Sinterklaas celebration. We collaborate with a bakery and with a charity. The profit margin from the pastries goes to charity, last year it was 'Action for Nicaragua'."
Pre-summer BBQ is a favourite
"My favourite activity is the pre-summer BBQ because it's always very enjoyable, we toast to the upcoming summer days and vacations. For such a BBQ, we rent the BBQ grills, but we do the shopping and BBQing ourselves. As soon as everything is set up, colleagues often quickly join in to help with BBQing, that's how we do it together. The end-of-year event is also always enjoyable, especially when partners are invited, but the pre-summer BBQ remains my favourite."
This is how the staff association works
"The staff association currently consists of three members: Frans (45), Gabrielle (35), and myself (32). We all work in different departments within CSi, and it's always nice to work together because we don't see each other much otherwise. Because we have different positions, we also have different perspectives on things, which complements each other well. We don't have a fixed role distribution and divide the tasks depending on the activity we’re organising. When we do things for the staff association, depends on how busy work is. Often it's during breaks or after working hours. Fortunately, we can combine it with work and personal life in terms of busyness.
Currently, we have around 140 members, which is about 85% of the Dutch employees. Everyone pays €3.50 monthly and CSi doubles this. It's nice that CSi supports the staff association and shows it in various ways. If we want to organise something in the office or (partly) during working hours, it's hardly ever a problem. Our goal is to bring everyone together and provide a pleasant atmosphere with satisfied colleagues, and CSi is happy to contribute to that."
This is important
"CSi is already quite a social company, but everyone mainly deals with work-related matters and is generally busy with work. By organising activities, we offer another way to spend time together, more informally and relaxed. Taking part in an activity or having a drink together is good for team building and the work atmosphere, which is important because you spend a lot of time together. It's even more fun when you get to interact with people from outside your team or department. You get to know each other more, which in turn lets you work together more smoothly.”
«You spend more time with your colleagues than with your partner,» an expression that may well be true. So it is all the more important to enjoy yourself with your colleagues too. At CSi, we believe that as a company, you should facilitate moments where employees can socialise informally, and our staff association supports that. Throughout the year, activities outside of work are organised by colleagues, for colleagues, for that enjoyable, informal togetherness. Henk Krijnen, Sales Analyst, who has been working at CSi for eight years and has been a member of the staff association for 1,5 years already, will take us through it.
