‘I like to identify the root of a problem and solve it together with others’

‘If I see something that isn't working as it should, I look for the root of the problem and see how we can solve it,’ says Nijgh. ‘I already tried to do so when I was working in the administration of the CRU. It was a nice job alongside my studies, sticking labels on test tubes and making sure everything was ready for a trial. But I did not like it that something would come up at the last minute, and I had to work late. So, I did whatever I could to improve our planning, making sure we would be ready on time.’

Nijgh joined CHDR in 2014. In 2017, he graduated as a psychologist. ‘I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do as a psychologist, and I really enjoyed working here at CHDR. So, when I was offered a job in Recruitment, I gladly accepted it.’ Just a few years into this new job, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and everything changed. Nijgh: ‘It was a challenging time for almost everyone. In the beginning, there was a lot of uncertainty, and all the study participants called us for information. But we did not know much either, because we were dependent on the course of the pandemic and the policy decisions of the government. The transition to working from home was also complicated.’

‘I chaired our Works Council at the time of the pandemic, and my colleagues naturally had lots of questions too. Working from home meant that people had higher costs for heating and so on, and they wanted to know if they would be reimbursed for that. Then the Board of Directors asked us if we were prepared to forego the agreed pay rise so that we could avoid lay-offs. We discussed this extensively with everyone and a large majority was in favour of doing so. I found that quite impressive. It shows how people feel connected here.’

In 2021, Nijgh was promoted to senior recruitment officer. Two years later, the opportunity arose to apply for the position of team leader in Recruitment. ‘I felt strong enough to take on that challenge, so I gave it a go and got the job. The past two years have been great. We have achieved so much together. Satisfaction within the team has increased and our efficiency has improved significantly. Together, we went through all our procedures, and we identified what is effective and what is not, and how we could use our time as efficiently as possible. As a result, we now hardly ever miss deadlines, and we've gone from getting 75% of the participants we needed to start on time to 93%. I’m proud of our team for achieving that.’

‘I have noticed that I really enjoy working on a project and involving the entire organisation. For example, we completely rebuilt our automation of the recruitment process from scratch, using input from all relevant departments in the organisation. The result has been quite an improvement, and I personally found the journey to get there very interesting. I would like to do more of that in the coming years.’