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TMC Employeneur Awards: recognition for going the extra mile

‘It’s been a couple of months now, so we’ve had some time to let it all sink in,’ says Noortje van Boxtel. ‘And looking back at the Employeneur Awards of 2018, I can say without a doubt: it was another great edition. There were more nominations than ever before, from clients, fellow Employeneurs and Account Managers. Several successful TEL projects have been completed, revolutionary new ideas pitched, and promising connections with potential clients established. It’s wonderful to see what our people do to go the extra mile, and it’s very encouraging to see how TMC recognizes and rewards their efforts!’

Besides being Cell Director Manufacturing Support South, Noortje van Boxtel is also responsible for internally coordinating the annual Employeneur Awards: the prizes handed out for outstanding achievements and exceptional behaviour. ‘Something particularly special about the awards, is that the jury is formed of Employeneurs,’ Noortje adds. ‘We want to make sure the winners are always judged by a diverse panel of colleagues.’

‘Something particularly special about the awards, is that the jury is formed of Employeneurs.'

For the 2018 edition, Employeneur Marcel Dannenberg was one of nine jury members. He enjoyed experiencing the entire process from within. ‘Usually, you just hear about the results, and you don’t get to see the work behind it. As a jury member, you are part of everything that leads up to the moment when the awards are handed out. This year, there were some ninety nominations. You get to read through all of those, and you grade the nominations on a scale from 1 to 5. Yes, it’s a job you really have to dive into!’ Marcel says with a laugh. ‘Later, when all the jury members come together, they discuss their grades and try to come to an agreement.’

Marcel noticed how jury members from different Cells had very different points of view from which they judged the nominations. ‘That was really interesting to see. My own background is in Manufacturing Support, so my focus is more on what you might call the human side of the achievements: the way people help an entire team forward, or the extra efforts an Employeneur puts in to make a project work. The jury members from other Cells, for instance Nanotechnology, focused more on technological achievements - groundbreaking contributions to machines or systems. Of course, all of these perspectives and preferences have to be respected and represented.’

After some lively discussions, the jury members unanimously agreed upon their winners. There are three categories of Employeneur Awards: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Each category comes with an extra incentive in the form of a prize sum.

'It’s hugely encouraging to see our work appreciated by our fellow Employeneurs.'

Ferdinand Hendriks and his team won a Silver Employeneur Award for their bRemote project, which the four of them started in TMC’s Masterclass. ‘Together, we developed a new app for counting bees, a valuable new tool for bee-keepers,’ Ferdinand says. ‘Not only did we develop a new system, a product that truly filled a gap (we were already quite proud of that), but we also managed to sell our system to several clients at an early stage. It’s hugely encouraging to see our work appreciated by our fellow Employeneurs, and getting recognition in the form of an award makes us even more eager to work on our next steps.’

This year’s Gold Employeneur Award went to Jaap van der Heijden. At JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS, Jaap came up with a fresh approach to maintenance planning, hugely improving machine availability for production. After some quick decision-making, Jaap also helped another Employeneur find a new role. ‘I think that helped me get the award too. No, I really didn’t see it coming. I thought: maybe I’ll be one of the winners of a Bronze award - which would already have been special. Of course, what I’m most proud of is the achievement in itself; my main goal has always been to help the company forward. But it’s very rewarding to see your work recognized like this.’

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