Looking for a new job, or thinking about saying yes to a new employer? This used to be a very normal decision back in 2019, but it’s far more difficult now during the times of Coronavirus. The pandemic has influenced our lives in many ways, and it has also influenced our career decisions.
Tough periods like these show you how a company values the wellbeing of its employees and highlights how they respond during a crisis. This is important for making your decision about whether to join a new place of work.
During uncertain times, the feeling of respect, understanding, professionalism, and flexibility are more important than ever. And so is having fun. These values are central to the way we work at CCV – and the coronavirus pandemic has strengthened these values even more.
In this blog, you will find out what we have been doing for our employees – to help them live and work during the pandemic. You will read what measures we took to protect the health, safety, and security of our employees. We’ll shine a light on the sense of togetherness that we feel and most importantly, we will show you that you will find a trustworthy and reliable employer in us.
Discovering a New Way to Work at CCV
2020 has certainly been a year of challenge and change for us all. As social distancing has become the norm, conventional ways of working at CCV – from face-to-face meetings, to catch-ups by the coffee machine – have no longer been possible.
In March 2020, as lockdowns closed Europe, the challenge but utmost goal we faced was to find practical ways for colleagues to work productively and risk-free. For our office-based teams and staff in the field, this meant a lot of change – but employee wellbeing remained central.
For people whose role allowed it, home working has become normal. Yet, we always understood that this would be easier for some than for others. So, we did all we could to support individuals transition to home working. For example, throughout the company, staff were free to take home the equipment they needed to help them work comfortably and productively.
The fact we’re a digitalised company has made this switch easier, and many of our employees could also work from their own devices if they needed to.
CCV is working from home
CCV is working from home
But not everyone was able to work from home. As such, armed with hand sanitisers, plexiglass, and posters about social distancing, we ensured that our colleagues could work in a safe environment.
Communication: Trust, Transparency, and Listening to People
Alongside the excellent work of our corporate IT team, who handled the technology (thanks guys!), we had our culture of transparent communication to thank for the smooth transition to our new normal.
Our company-wide Coronavirus response team set the bar high – colleagues from HR, Corporate Communications, Legal, and the Board of Directors who monitored the situation from the start and kept everyone updated on the crucial information:
“We were looking for a balance between enough information and too much information,” says Sandra Polman, part of the response team. “But with all of the changes in government policies, there was a lot to communicate – and employees needed to know how the constant changes might affect them.”
Yet, communication is just as much about listening, too. This means encouraging staff to speak about anything they’re struggling with. To help with this, managers scheduled weekly calls with every individual member of staff to simply check in on how they were doing – and we rolled out our employee survey and feedback tool sooner than planned, as well. This made sure that everyone’s voice was heard.
Flexibility: Working in a Way that Works for Everyone
Just as staff trusted senior management to provide support, all employees were trusted to find the balance that worked for them. We were more than happy to introduce more flexibility when needed.
“We made sure that employees knew they shouldn’t hold themselves to the same standard as normal, or without children around,” Sandra explained. “We told everyone, ‘If it’s easier for you to work outside office hours or at weekends, that’s fine.’ Some could work from the office too, if they needed to. We wanted to make sure that everyone was comfortable and could work in a way that worked for them.”
CCV is a family company after all, with recent graduates collaborating with colleagues who have been with us for over forty years. We get that not everyone is suited to the same ways of working – and some need to be cut some slack to find their own way through a challenging period.
As Amy Pieplenbosch, from CCV’s corporate comms team, says, “we all have to embrace this culture of trust and autonomy. As long as we take on our responsibilities, it doesn’t really matter when or how.”
Togetherness at CCV: Our Enduring Strength
Being part of a company is about being together. With everyone working from home, this was of course difficult in the beginning. But as it turned out, all it took was a bit of imagination to make sure everyone stayed united! As Amy says, “we have to stay strong as ‘one CCV’ to overcome this crisis!” – so that’s what we’re doing.
#WeConnect
One way in which we sought to bring everyone in the company together was through our longstanding initiative, #WeConnect. This had been a success even before the pandemic, with teams from across the company competing on different challenges, while getting to know people from other functions, too.
Covid-19 meant this had to go digital. The 2020 #WeConnect Event was an amazing experience – an online get-together that brought together colleagues from four different countries into one single digital space. Yet, we pulled out all the stops to make it memorable. For example, we sent out healthy snacks and drinks to attendees beforehand (thanks to our colleagues from the cafeteria-team for handling all the logistics of the snacks bringing them to the private homes of over 1.200 colleagues!), which they could enjoy throughout the day – and this helped build the special unique spirit around the event.
“We don’t usually get together as a whole company,” Amy explained, “but for this event we did it with everyone. And we experienced really great reactions and a lot of positive energy!”
Despite the tough circumstances, this has inspired us, and we are continuing with these international events once a quarter.
A sign of gratitude
Of course, the many changes were not always easy and not everything worked perfectly. That is why we as a company are incredibly grateful for the commitment of our employees during the Corona pandemic. Each and every colleague has played their part in helping us to master the first, uncertain months of the Corona crisis and to continue to do so. To thank our colleagues for their dedication and loyalty, we have paid compensation to our employees. We are proud that we were able to offer all employees a secure job during the crisis, in the sense of job safety as well as health safety.
Mutual Support and Small Gestures
It hasn’t all been about the big events and initiatives. We know that the small things matter. For example, virtual happy-hours or breakfasts kept the colleagues connected, online yoga and our CCV Step Challenge kept everyone fit and social, while our coffee-buddy initiative connected unfamiliar employees for casual online chat, fostering new virtual friendships between colleagues who didn’t know each other before.
Everyone received a CCVitality Box (care package), too – including a skipping rope, hand sanitiser, and a greeting card to send to a colleague they care about. Toilet paper was also in the box – although, as you’ll see from the video below, this was for a slightly unconventional purpose!
Every initiative brought us closer together as teams – even between departments in different countries. As Amy says, “we’ve worked more internationally and there are less siloes. This has happened organically, and we’re happy to experience this natural sense of togetherness at CCV.”
CCV Vitality challenge
CCV Vitality challenge
Changing for the Better
One of the most impressive things about the crisis was how all our teams adapted – and saw the positives in the new ways in which we had to work. As Sandra says, with no commute and a greater sense of togetherness, “we’re greener, less tired, and more flexible at the same time.”
The pandemic is a difficult, uncertain, and painful time for many. Yet, we shouldn’t lose sight of the ways in which it has changed us for the better. Here at CCV, we’re proud that it has enabled us to refocus on our key values – and to strengthen a sense of togetherness across the whole organisation.
Join us!
CCV is an ambitious growing business. We’re on the lookout for amazing talent in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. Can you help us bring cutting-edge payment solutions to market? Check below for more information about CCV vacancies in your area.
Your career @ CCV Netherlands
Your career @ CCV Germany
Your career @ CCV Belgium & CCV Lab