Get to know... Nancy Vande Reyd
Nancy started her career at Algeco Belgium around ten years ago, working as an interim employee to support the Finance Department. She has since advanced to HR officer for Algeco Benelux. In her spare time, she immensely enjoys a brisk walk or the fun she has playing board games with her son and partner.
“Recruitment and selection, performance management, learning and development, succession planning, compensation and benefits, HR information systems, and HR data and analysis are considered the building blocks of effective Human Resources Management.”
How would you best describe your job?
As an HR officer or possibly better known as a human resources officer, I am responsible, together with the HR manager, for managing every aspect of the employment process, including the onboarding and training of new staff members. Another very important part of my job is payroll management: ensuring that all employees receive their wages on time and correctly. Overall, it’s fair to say that my job is repetitive to some extent but still contains enough variety.
What qualifications do you think are needed to do the job well?
Anyone who is eager to learn and has an interest in human resources can become an excellent HR officer. With professional bachelor degrees, subjects such as applied psychology and commercial sciences pop up. But there are also other courses, such as social work with specialisation in human resources, which allow you to do a job in the HR sector.
In my opinion and expertise, a competent HR officer must have the following qualities and skills:
- Be administratively and communicatively strong
- Have knowledge of human resources and labour law
- Work meticulously and pay attention to detail
- Have the ability to work well with others
- Have the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
What makes your working day a perfect/successful day?
This depends on several factors; one working day is not like another.
My attention is fragmented throughout the day, which is why it’s important not to try to achieve too many goals per day. A working day for me is successful when I have been able to complete and achieve a limited number of goals. A concrete example is when an onboarding session with a new employee was scheduled and could be duly executed.
How would your colleagues describe you?
My colleagues describe me as the group’s good listener.
In my position, I am also Algeco’s internal confidential adviser because I know the company, its culture, and its employees, and am by nature already the point of contact for questions and problems.
In concrete terms, this means that if, for example, a colleague needs a confidential conversation, they can come to me for it, or if professional help needs to be sought, I put them in touch with the carefully selected bodies.
My life’s motto: “Stay true to yourself and don’t let others lead you.”
Which department would you like to work in?
If I really had to choose, I would try a day in the life of the colleagues who organise the entire Supply Chain & Procurement. Their main task is to ensure that we have the requested goods and services available at the right time. Of course, this presents quite a challenge; they need to carry this out without loss of quality and with as cost-efficient a process as possible. Assisting this process in a support role seems like a varied job where you will be in contact with suppliers as well as your own colleagues.
What tip would you like to pass on to readers?
My ultimate learning tip is not to be too quick to judge others. First, open yourself up to getting to know someone and giving them the opportunity to develop themselves professionally.
What does Algeco mean for you?
I’ve been working at Algeco Belgium for over 11 years now, which means I can reliably say that it is an excellent employer. Being a good employer consists of several components; some things are clearly agreed legally, such as employment conditions.
But good employment practice also entails parts that aren’t covered by law, such as a team lunch or a Christmas drink for all of the colleagues, for example.