“I live in Assendelft, a 15-minute bike ride from the office – which I do regularly, by the way. I’m married and have two daughters, aged 18 and 12. What I enjoy doing is a bit of motorcycling and photography. Especially the Ardennes in the fall are a favorite: standing with your tripod in the middle of a stream to photograph waterfalls – beautiful!”

“I’m a fair-weather rider. Every year, for example, I try to do a tour of Germany with friends, which I organize myself. The annual Gemba motorcycle tour with colleagues, clients, and partners is always a party. But I also do rides for the Stichting Opkikker (Pick-Me-Up Foundation). Then we ride with chronically ill children and their family members. Just a day of motorcycle fun – that’s really valuable.”

“I didn’t know exactly what to expect from asset management, so I was very curious to hear what they had to say at Gemba. During the job interview, I immediately sensed the atmosphere of the company, which is very open. You can ask anything. The people at Gemba all work hard, yet everyone is willing to help each other. If you want to ask something, you don’t have to make an appointment first. And if it’s necessary to explain something a few more times, that’s no problem. I find it characteristic that Jack, our director, doesn’t have his own office and just walks around the company. It also didn’t matter to Gemba that I didn’t have a background in asset management. ‘We’ll train you,’ they said. In recent years, I’ve obtained all sorts of IBM Maximo certificates and followed internal training courses, for example in XML. Now, together with colleagues, I’m doing a number of sessions on IBM Maximo Application Suite, to better understand what customers need and how we can respond to that with IBM MAS.”

“The small scale. When I applied, Gemba was still in Monnickendam. Somewhere above a restaurant, I think, the entrance was a bit hard to find. Small staircase up, lots of wood, and a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Although we have since grown from 12 to more than 40 employees and are in a beautiful building in Wormer, that atmosphere is still typical. You work half a day with us and immediately sit at the lunch table like a real Gembiaan. I am very proud of that.”

“Nowadays, I mainly focus on the back office. Administration, finance, HR, and facility management – everything that ensures that everyone here can do their job comfortably. Our team consists of five people. We are a kind of silent force, I always say. If we do our job well, you don’t really notice it. But if we’re not there, you do.”

“Gemba is a knowledge company. We live on what our consultants know and can do. So it is our job to make it as fun and easy as possible for them. From fun outings to time registration that causes as little hassle as possible. Happy employees make happy customers, Richard Branson of Virgin once said. We contribute to that from the back office.”

“That ranges from the regular Gemba weekend, Christmas drinks, and great outings to, for example, Friday afternoon drinks, enjoying a drink in the sun in the front yard if possible. And twice a year we have a meeting with the entire office, about the figures and what we are working on. In the afternoon we do something sporty or cultural. For example, we once went graffiti-spraying under the A8 with an artist. The two most beautiful canvases hang in our gameroom at the office, democratically chosen. The idea is to do motorcycle trial lessons next September. The organization of all activities is a collaboration between the HR department and our staff association, which is very active.”

“Coaching people. Seeing someone develop from guidance to independence – that’s the most beautiful thing. Someone who eventually ‘takes flight’. That’s what I do it for. And continuous improvement. Whether it’s a sub-process in the administration or something bigger, there’s always something that can be smarter or more fun.”

“I’m not done yet. We are now working with the MT on a long-term vision. Gemba always ran well on word-of-mouth advertising and regular customers, but the world is changing. We want to tackle that new phase well. And I still see plenty of opportunities to make our back office even more efficient and better than it already is.”

“We are simply a very nice company to work for, but you only really notice that when you come inside. The grass is always greener at Gemba – we don’t say that for nothing. It is an organization where you not only feel at home quickly, but also stay for a long time.”

“That’s hard to choose… But the sailing trip in honor of our 10th anniversary was truly memorable. Three big boats, sailing in Zeeland. Everyone came back with the idea of buying a sailboat. That says enough, right?”