Motivated employees do a better job

Bram Kelchtermans, System engineer

“During my job interview, I immediately noticed that things were different here than at other companies. I had to completely re-evaluate everything I’d seen before. Instead of trying to match me to a detailed job description, I was asked what I'm good at and what I enjoy doing most. I was pleasantly surprised – nobody had asked me that before. APG was interested in my varied background as both a network and software engineer. They want to make the best use of that broad knowledge. At APG, I’m able to gain experience in various areas of the company and explore different departments. If I see a good opportunity to learn or to make myself useful, I’ll first shadow someone while I get to know the department and the team members. Instead of just doing what I know I’m good at, I now have the freedom to develop and learn all the time.

I did have some doubts about working for a pension provider, because I know so little about pensions and hadn’t really given the topic much thought. But once I saw the data center, and after some future co-workers explained what we do in terms of IT, I knew I had to work here. Now that I’ve got a bit settled, I’m fascinated by how we manage so many people’s pensions and invest such colossal amounts. I’m now proud to do my bit for the greater good.

My first assignment was really interesting. Lots of talented people at APG are often assigned simple, repetitive tasks. My job is to see whether these tasks can be automated, so that our talented team members can get to work on more important things. If anything, this shows how large and professional an organization APG really is. All of my ideas in terms of task automation are discussed, and all the various possible lines of attack are considered. ‘Selling’ these types of ideas means doing your homework properly – nobody takes anything at face value. But because my input is taken seriously, I really feel that I can add value.”

#doyouseeyourfuturewithAPG