Demanding ICT workers
We are in a period where good ICT personnel are almost impossible to come by. And so it is also difficult to retain good people. To distinguish yourself, you have to do more than just offer a good salary and 25 vacation days. We don’t want to say that we do it perfectly, but that we do our utmost to make our staff feel at home.
A clubhouse as an office
Our new office building is a good example in this regard. We paid a lot of attention to it. We work with large and electrically height-adjustable desks. As a result, people do not sit too close to each other and it is also possible to work standing up.
Apparently, it is even healthier. There is also plenty of light, it is cozy with, among other things, a pinball machine and a dartboard, and we have done our best to make it a kind of clubhouse.
A “warm bath,” with lots of wood, atmosphere and climate control in a quiet, relaxing environment. It invites, besides the flexible possibilities to work at home or elsewhere, to be in the office regularly to meet colleagues, hang out together and share knowledge.
These are all things that have recently been proven to be important for a good work experience. In addition to keeping people physically healthy, a well-kept workplace also makes for mentally healthier employees.
Moreover, the office offers enough space and opportunities for “flex-working” for partners, clients, freelancers or other stakeholders involved in one of our projects.
The importance of training
At the same time, this is far from the only thing employees consider important in the year 2019. For example, freedom of choice is also hugely important. And certainly within ICT being able to develop yourself further. At OptimaData, this is extra important because we work in a niche within ICT.
At the moment there’s no training where you can learn about Open Source databases for example. For that, you mainly attend many conferences (often abroad), meetups, workshops, etc. where you can learn from experts in this field.
More than mandatory knowledge consumption
At the beginning of the year, we distribute the (international) multi-day conference visits among the employees. Partly, of course, this depends on personal expertise and interest, but we make sure that everyone goes at least once.
After all, a conference visit is more than just an obligatory consumption of knowledge. It is also quality time spent together. By traveling together, eating, catching up and having a drink.
Relationships: the invisible cement of your organization
Besides things like a nice office, education and money, we believe there is another crucial ingredient you should add: creating, building and maintaining personal relationships. In the end, that’s the invisible cement your business runs on. Of course you keep work and personal separate, but where is the line?
Where does private cause performance at work to suffer? And are you then able to be more than just an employer? At OptimaData, we are aware that our company does more than just build, tune and maintain databases. We are also (partly) responsible for the ups and downs of 25 families. And that puts things in a different light.
Would you like to taste the atmosphere of our clubhouse sometime? You are most welcome! Please contact us for a (non-committal) cup of coffee or tea.
Curious?
Want to know more about OptimaData? Feel free to contact us.