Starting your new job in the time of corona

Esma El Mahtouchi started two weeks prior to the Security Council announcing that working from home was to become the norm. This meant that she had just enough time to get acquainted with some of her colleagues and familiarise herself with her new workplace. But before she could furnish her desk with a few personal items, she was instructed to work from home for an unspecified number of weeks. “It took some getting used to,” laughs Esma, “but teleworking at Vandelanotte was extremely well planned and organised. I was consequently able to pursue my training courses without problem.” Her colleagues also did their best to ensure that she didn’t feel abandoned and involved her in the team on a daily basis. Despite the distance, everyone made her feel more than welcome.

When Lieven Goossens joined Vandelanotte, the corona pandemic was at its peak. This meant that he had to get acquainted with his team remotely, right from day one. Although in Lieven’s case, it was more of a happy reunion - he had worked at Vandelanotte a few years previously, before deciding to make a fresh start elsewhere. However, he soon realised that he missed working at Vandelanotte and was delighted to be able to return. “It was like a homecoming,” says Lieven. “I got nothing but positive reactions from my colleagues and I felt like I’d never left.”