Ryanne Blaauw

HR Specialist, Jacobs Douwe Egberts

How the collaboration with How Company started
Jacobs Douwe Egberts has worked with How Company for many years on personal development issues in the organization, and a large number of Douwe Egberts employees have taken the open Communication For Excellence program. At one point there were so many requests to join the open program that the decision was made to offer the Communication For Excellence as an in-company program for groups of 12 at a time, at an offsite location. “Next to the financial savings, we also see other benefits of giving people the chance to take the program with colleagues,” says Ryanne. “A lot of our participants are young people, on the second job in their career. During the training they identify with a lot of the issues they hear their colleagues sharing about. That creates a lot of understanding. This program gives them just the push they need to become more successful and grow faster, both professionally as personally.”
Themes:
  • Personal leadership
  • Communication
  • Leadership
If you are serious about investing in people and encouraging them to grow, then the How Company programs are a great way of making it happen. Real added value for leaders and professionals.
Approach
The 3-day Communication For Excellence program is planned in several times a year at Jacobs Douwe Egberts, and employees and managers can sign up for it internally. It is closely based on the open program, and held at an external location. Four weeks after each program there is an afternoon session for all the participants of that training. Those who want to further develop their leadership skills can sign up for the open Leadership for Excellence, as this is not yet offered internally at Jacobs Douwe Egberts.
Result
Ryanne regularly hears enthusiastic reactions from employees who have taken a How Company program. “We offer workshops and trainings from other bureaus, but we hear specifically that the How Company ones really make an impact. Participants learn life-changing things about themselves that they never forget, about where and how they are holding themselves back, and how to easily achieve more. How Company offer more than skills, but work at a deeper level with the attitude of each individual, which means that what people learn really stays with them, and makes a difference in how they behave.” About How Company she says, “They are flexible, and the communication lines are short. If we have questions outside the regular programs they think with us as sparring partners. If we have a particular preference for a trainer or a date, they look into finding solutions.” Next to the content of the programs, the trainers are what make the difference. “The trainers are challenging and sometimes confronting, but always respectful. They really mean and live what they say, which makes them very authentic.”
About Jacobs Douwe Egberts
Jacobs Douwe Egberts are international coffee and tea distributors, with headquarters in Holland. Their coffee and tea products are sold in more than 45 countries worldwide. Of the total € 2,7 billion annual turnover roughly three quarters is generated in markets where DE are leading. The organization consists of three divisions: Retail-West-Europe, Retail-Rest Of The World and Out of Home, which offers a complete range of warm drink machines. The coffee and tea products are sold through supermarkets, department stores and international wholesalers, while Out of Home customers vary from multinationals to small family businesses, serviced – directly or indirectly - by a worldwide network of distributors.
www.jacobsdouweegberts.com