In this edition of the CEStafette Liek Schreel is interviewed by Daphne Spaan
HI LIEKE, IT IS SO NICE TO TALK TO YOU ONE-ON-ONE. WE RUN INTO EACH OTHER AT THE COFFEE MACHINE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, BUT I DON’T KNOW YOU THAT WELL. SO I WAS VERY HAPPY YOU WERE ABLE AND WILLING TO DO THIS INTERVIEW!
To me, in the Letters from Lieke in the CES-newsletter, you come across as very easy accessible. In spite of that, I never made use of your invitation to have an individual meeting with you to get to know each other. Not because I don’t want to, but more because I assume you are far too busy for this kind of chit-chat. So I am curious to hear how often you speak to our CES-colleagues? Do they still make use of your time for these talks?
Great question! When I started at CES in April 2021, we were still in the middle of a pandemic. Therefore it was really difficult to get to know the CES teams and meet people face to face. After working in the office was back to usual, I introduced these voluntary talks, and at the start, a lot of talks took place. But after a while that stopped. I still haven’t met everyone individually. This is why I now invite new staff members for a personal talk after they start working at CES to get to know each other, and maybe make it a little easier for them to contact me if there is anything they want to talk to me about. I need all CES members to be able to do my job, so each and everyone’s input is equally important and very much appreciated!
I can imagine the CES team working from different locations does not help. And most of the staff still works from home on some days as well. Do you think this physical distance makes it more difficult for people to approach you, and also to approach other colleagues from different departments?
Yes, it certainly does. This is why the CES-café and our bi-annual meetings like Christmas are so important. And it was great to see 150 of the 180 CES members at the Twentse Foodhal before the holidays! I also try to visit the individual teams as much as possible in the various buildings. Every two weeks I have a meeting with individual team leaders, and these take place at the team’s location mostly.
Do you work from home as well or mostly in the office?
I prefer working from the office full-time since I get to meet people face to face, and there a no distractions like laundry and dishes in the office.
Let’s say we would introduce some kind of job rotation within CES, where every team member job shadows a CES-colleague to find out what their job entails, who or what department would you choose?
Since I started my career as a teacher, I still carry a warm heart for education and teaching. It would be very interesting to see what BOZ-Roostering is doing since they are so closely connected to education. On the other hand I would also really like to take a look at the IM kitchen. I hardly understand anything about their work with IT and systems, so that would also be very interesting.
So you started your career in education as a teacher? What did you teach?
I graduated as a Medievalist (Middeleeuwkundige), specializing in Medieval Dutch Literature and History. Then I worked as a teacher at Trinity College Dublin for 5 years as a teacher in Dutch, Medieval Dutch literature and Low Countries Studies.
So after an international career and working in the Randstad, you ended up working in Enschede and living in Eibergen. How is that? The difference must be very big.
That is true, it’s very different, but in a positive way. One of the things I noticed after working in Enschede for a while, is that wearing heels (pumps) is a lot more challenging than it was in Leiden and The Hague, where the campus was a lot more centralized (and the organisation much more formal). I still do wear heels as I have quite a collection but I can understand why most of the UT staff prefer to walk around in sneakers! Also, I like the nature in Twente and Achterhoek (ideal for long walks), and there is still enough to do so we are never bored. The only this I miss is the availability of international restaurants. In The Hague, you could find pretty much every kind of cooking right around the corner. This is a bit more difficult to find in Twente and the Achterhoek. But living in a small town was a very conscious decision: we wanted to move to a small town, up to a maximum 30 minutes removed from the campus, and the only requirement we had was that there had to be HEMA. Not because I like the store that much, but because this is a good indication about the size of the town and says something about the amenities like supermarkets, bakers, GP etc in the town.
Is there anything else you like to do in your free time besides walking?
Yes, together with my husband I like to go cross-country skiing, Norway is our favourite destination. I also like canoeing very much. (I used to row during my studies and coached a men’s rowing team for a year). I also really enjoy cooking and baking.
Rowing, and high heels, I did not expect that! To round up this interview, is there anything you would like to share with your colleagues that we might also not expect?
Well, I can name another fun fact about me. I have only been Dutch for half my life. My parents are both Belgian, so I grew up Belgian and changed nationality in my twenties. Dutch by choice!
It sounds very international! Thank you very much for taking the time for this interview!
