Lidwien Graafland
(39), a senior staff member at the Facilities Service Desk in Actio. Photo: Guy Ackermans. They are indispensable on campus: the cleaners, caretakers, caterers, gardeners, receptionists – the list is long. Resource looks up these key people. This time, meet Lidwien Graafland (39), a senior staff member at the Facilities Service Desk in Actio.
I did the Bachelor’s in Soil, Water, Atmosphere at WUR, but during my Master’s I started to have my doubts about that career direction. I love working with people and I like solving problems quickly – which is difficult in that line of work. It took me a long time to find out what I wanted. What are you letting yourself in for when you start a whole new course? But I’m glad I did the Facility Management course and that I’m working here now, at the Facilities Service Desk. I thoroughly enjoy it, and I’ve been here six years now.
We receive facility-related reports about wishes, complaints, faults or requests for information. These can range from an overflowing garbage container to someone who is stuck in the elevator. We pass these calls on to various “problem-solvers” such as the caretaker or the technical building manager. We ourselves are the problem-solvers for reports about domestic and international travel, the library, WUR cards, insurance and the ordering system. As an intermediary, we ask for clarification and monitor the handling of the case.
What I like about my job is that every day is different. But angry phone calls are not much fun
Because we are in contact with many different departments, we know what is going on within the university, so people often involve us in projects. We also initiate that ourselves, because it is annoying if decisions are taken from above that do not work in practice. I also make improvements to our reporting system and the facility processes around a report, which allows me to use my analytical skills.
What I like about my job is that every day is different. But angry phone calls are not much fun. Most people are civilized and pleasant, but sometimes they are looking for a chance to let off steam. I let them vent for a while and then they are often okay. Sometimes they’re not and then I talk it over with them. We always discuss these situations within our team. We are a close team, which is useful for this work, because we don’t know everything ourselves and you have to be willing to ask. Keeping in touch was more difficult during the Covid time, but we managed to do so through two chat groups, one for serious questions and one just for nattering. Covid kept us very busy, and we got new sorts of questions. But we continued to work like we always do: solutions-focussed, listening well, asking lots of questions, setting priorities and not getting stressed out. We all put our shoulders to the wheel.’
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