Zuidberg Staff Association

Such as renting out an entire castle in Tunisia or a long weekend trip to Turkey. A staff party at Zuidberg really pulls out all the stops. “But we’ve also done the standard bowling evenings and traditional Dutch games. Doing something together is what it's really all about.”

Gert Bos, Production Planner at the company office, set up Zuidberg's first staff association with three colleagues. He was a member for fifteen years. “When I started at Zuidberg in 1992, I was employee number ten. Betty Zuidberg, Henk's wife, used to organise the staff outings herself. But at one point, Zuidberg was growing so fast that Betty could no longer manage the task. She asked me, among others, to take over from her.”

‘Come back!’
One of Gert's first ‘jobs’ was organising Zuidberg's 12.5-year anniversary party. Gert: “We went to Tunisia with all the staff and their families. That was really great and very special. I have so many fond memories of that trip. For example, a young lady really turned the charm on Henk, which made the beach activities cost a lot of money. Or the activity where we parachuted behind a boat. The wife of our colleague Dani was so light that she couldn’t get back on the ground. Dani kept shouting: ‘Come back!’. Fortunately, she eventually landed safely on a roof. Jeroen Zuidberg was there too, he was still a young boy back then. He was so sick from the heat that he threw up on the bus on his way to a mosque.”

Eating and drinking like construction workers
Erik Kok, a member of the staff association for five years, was not yet working at Zuidberg at the time of the Tunisia trip, but has also collected a whole book of anecdotes in the meantime. “In 2007, we had a wonderful weekend in Turkey. That was so amazing. Everything was perfect and everything went really well. We still have a lovely photo from the trip hanging in the canteen. And five years ago, during our 35th anniversary, we toured through the polder in Daf cars and on Zündapp and Solex motorcycles, ending the day with a big party in an empty industrial building.”

For the 30th anniversary, we rented out Haarzuilens castle in Utrecht. Gert: “The theme that day was everything medieval, including catapult shooting and sword fighting. That was also done on a grand scale. But we’ve also done much smaller parties, with bowling evenings and traditional Dutch games. Those evenings were just as much fun.” Erik agrees: “Those parties are all about just doing something together. It doesn't really matter what it is. We always make sure that there’s more than enough food and drink. That’s why we always ask the catering establishments we visit to think of us as construction workers: there should never be too little. Work hard, play hard.”

Missing the boat (almost)
Not all the outings and activities have gone smoothly. The aftermath of a volleyball tournament included: a torn Achilles tendon, a broken ankle and a dislocated thumb (“You laugh about it afterwards”); on Texel, a colleague narrowly avoided getting left behind and Gert himself almost missed the boat to Vlieland. Gert: “I arrived at the car park ten minutes before the boat left. But my leg was in a plaster cast and I couldn't get to the boat very quickly. Henk shouted: ‘Hold the boat!’. It did take some effort, but I caught the boat in the end.”

Henk has been the cause of much hilarity, as Erik well knows. “We once went karting in Hengelo, which was preceded by very thorough instructions. While we were all listening attentively to the instructor, we suddenly heard a kart start up behind us and drive off. Henk had already started! He didn't feel like waiting for the instructions, he knew how it worked anyway. Typical Henk! Of course, the instructor was furious.”

Easter eggs and chocolate letters
Besides the outings and party nights, the staff association arranges much, much more. Erik: "Every year in July, we organise the summer barbecue and in December there is the Sinterklaas celebration for all the children of the staff. We also organise presents for employees who have just had a baby, or who have been ill for a long time. And on public holidays, everyone receives a small gift, such as a bag of Easter eggs at Easter and a chocolate letter for Sinterklaas.”

Something extra special in the anniversary year
Due to Zuidberg's enormous growth, the parties have changed in recent years, reflect Gert and Erik. “We had the spring party, the autumn party, the summer barbecue. Everyone always came to those. Now that there are more and more of us, you can see that the level of involvement is changing. Surveys conducted among staff have shown that many employees would also like to do something with their own department, a team-building outing. But because you speak to your immediate colleagues every day and to others hardly ever, the company party is the perfect opportunity to see and speak to all your colleagues in a different way. Luckily, a party for the whole company is held at least once a year.”

In addition to the Zuidberg Circus, the staff association is also going to go big this year with the anniversary party for the staff! Erik: “Because of the Corona virus, we haven't been able to organise anything for the last couple of years, so we are now busy with that! I can't yet say much about how and what exactly is being organised, it has to remain a surprise.”