News from our organization
Diederik Koops five years with GlobalRize
News from our organization
Diederik Koops five years with GlobalRize
News from our organization
Diederik Koops five years with GlobalRize
On January 1, 2023, it was five years ago that Diederik Koops (28) joined GlobalRize. Reason enough for the office team to celebrate this anniversary with a festive lunch. After all, Diederik is not just anyone. Despite the rare connective tissue disease he suffers from (the Ehlers Danlos Syndrome), he is always cheerful and creates a pleasant atmosphere at the office in Oldebroek. “I see my colleagues as more than just colleagues.”
In 2017, Diederik completed the Logistics and Economics course at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences and was busy applying for jobs. “It didn’t really work. Due to my disability, I cannot take on a full-time job. My father was working at Aral, a welding company in Oldebroek; GlobalRize had just rented their canteen to set up their office. He talked to operational director Frans de Lange and said to him: ‘Can Diederik do volunteer work for you until he has found a job?’”
Entirely in line with GlobalRize’s online nature, Frans approached Diederik via Facebook and visited him that same afternoon. “I first came to work as a volunteer for three quarters of a year, then I joined the company,” says Diederik. “The finances immediately came into my range of duties. At first it was a matter of processing a few receipts. I also had to take care of printing, order office supplies and help organize events. I helped to put articles on the website, to set up pages on Instagram, both in Dutch and in English. Frans and I alternately put posts on Instagram, he did so in the evening and I in the morning, or vice versa.”
Diederik has experienced the initial phase of GlobalRize. At first, the foundation kept its office at home with missionary director Marten Visser in Wezep. Soon after Diederik joined, GlobalRize moved to the office in Oldebroek. Diederik: “All the stuff we had was given stuff. The office chairs came from one of the employees. We got a used printer and there was a little bit of budget for some other stuff.
Aral’s canteen still offered enough space at the time. There were six workstations and the space above [a windowless space above another company that can only be reached from the outside, EV] was not even intended to be used for working, it was more intended as spare space. In the beginning we were at most five people in the office at the same time. That number soon grew. That was very pleasant, sometimes we sat with two people at one desk.” It says a lot about Diederik that he enjoys working with two people at one desk!
Everyone knows Diederik as a colleague with an invariably good mood, always full of jokes. Director Frans de Lange spoke the following words during lunch to celebrate Diederik’s anniversary: “On his Instagram we see: Office manager at GlobalRize and then the words: ‘Let your life so be/ that all the world may see/ the joy of serving Jesus with a smile!😄’ I have always admired that joy of Christ in you, Diederik. Just by your presence you mean a lot in the lives of your colleagues. We love you as a brother, as a colleague and as a person. You are never alone in your corner; in the office, the desks around you are always the first to be occupied.”
It is certainly not obvious that he is so cheerful. Diederik. Just by your presence you mean a lot in the lives of your colleagues. We love you as a brother, as a colleague and as a person. You are never alone in your corner; in the office, the desks around you are always the first to be occupied.” It is certainly not obvious that he is so cheerful. Diederik: “Because of my illness, I get tired more quickly physically and mentally. The ailments I have bring trouble: tiredness, occasional inflammations that go away slowly… I don’t feel well, I often have a little fever. Now I’m stuck with a bruised toe. As a result, I can’t participate in the lunch walk right now, which means that my condition immediately deteriorates.” Does the disease get worse with age? “It’s pretty stable at the moment. But, as you get older, your body also deteriorates.”
“Yes, it’s shifted more and more to finance and it’s getting more and more complicated. This has to do with the growth and internationalization of the organization. There are now aspects of it that I have insufficient knowledge of, but I am learning by doing. I get help from the team and we have a good treasurer and accountant. Finance works well for me. The finance team needs to be strengthened.
I like to do something different every now and then: run an errand, order things or think along with new promotions or events. I really like working together, doing things together. When the finance department starts to grow, there will be more collaboration and I look forward to that.”
“The work is satisfying. The atmosphere is good. I see my colleagues as more than just colleagues, some of them are part of my social life. I do think this is possible; a formal relationship can easily coexist with a friendly one. It is also the signature of our organization. I notice from other colleagues that this also applies to them. I often come to the office for a coffee on my day off!
As more people join you also get more opinions, but we all have the same goal in mind and we do it together prayerfully. As colleagues you have the same goal. We can talk about matters of faith, and we may have different opinions, but that leads to great discussions. You learn from each other and accept each other. One is further in the life of faith than the other, so you also grow again. It provides new insights.”
“We have to make sure we keep the noses in the same direction. And we need to keep in touch with each other. But we also need to tell each other what we are doing, so that we keep each other well informed.”
The opening of the new office at ‘t Harde (a town about 4 miles from Oldebroek, where the office is located now) is planned for July. What will that do to the organization? Diederik: “That will give us some peace of mind. One can then withdraw for a while. At the same time we are more together because we are in one location, that will improve the workflow. If I have a question for someone on the other side, I usually don’t ask. For me, the threshold to walk to the other side is a bit higher.
Hopefully more volunteers will visit the new place and it will become a really inviting place. This way, as employees at the office, we can get a little more feeling with the volunteers, and vice versa.” He adds, with his characteristic grin: “And I do look forward to the comforts and pleasures of a new building with a more comfortable temperature.”
