I still learn something new every day.

Latifa el Haddar, Employers’ Desk Assistant

“My role means I’m the first point of contact for employers in the construction industry. APG manages many different pensions, including for people who are accruing pension rights with the Pension Fund for the Construction Industry. My team focuses on the questions we receive from employers in this specific sector. Employers may call or e-mail us with their questions about pensions, unemployment, disability, declarations, or specific pension schemes. Since January, 925 new employers have registered with this pension fund, and they often want to know about pensions for their employees.

What I like about my work is that I have direct contact with employers from both larger and smaller businesses. I can instantly and flexibly respond to their wishes and needs. Depending on the nature of the call, it can take up to half an hour or last just a few minutes to resolve an issue. My task is to identify the underlying question, by listening carefully and asking questions. I always want to provide employees with information that is as relevant as possible, and I want to be sure that our conversation has really helped them and cleared things up. Sometimes, this requires patience and some analytical skills. While it’s definitely important to know about the pension scheme, you end up picking up the finer points of the trade on the job. I love the fact that I still learn new things every day.

I took on a lot of temping jobs after finishing college. At one point, I got a job interview at APG, which was still called Cordares at the time, and I was also applying for a role as a branch store manager. When I was hired by both, I had to make a choice – I decided to join APG. I really looked forward to being jointly responsible for the pensions of more than one million participants. I thought that APG would be a great employer, with lots of development opportunities – and I was right!

I’ve been working here for 15 years and have had the opportunity to attend many training courses. I got my Green Belt, making me the specialist in process improvements at my previous department. And I also followed coaching skills training, which taught me to listen well and ask: what exactly is the question? I use this skill very often in my current job, and I even apply it in my everyday life. Nobody ever makes life difficult for you if you want to attend a course or program. APG actually encourages you to keep developing yourself, and there are almost endless options to do that. For example, I also took the Storytelling with Data course, even though it wasn’t really relevant to my job at the time. I just found it very interesting, and you gain knowledge that could be useful at some point.

So, looking back, I’m glad that I chose APG. Before moving to the Employers’ Desk, I had been at the department for branch-specific pension schemes for the Construction & Infrastructure sector, worked at the customer contact center, and also dealt with pensions for the cleaning industry and housing corporations. I’ve since switched from the participants to the employers, and I’m now on the Works Council. My work at each department taught me something about myself. That whole journey through the company has made me who I am today. The fact that I’ve been able to work in so many different departments says everything about the opportunities APG offers. They are there for the taking – you just have to reach out and grab them.”