Ground attendant Irma Buma (KLM): 'Passion unites the workforce!'
While temporarily absent from work due to illness, Irma spent a lot of time thinking about happiness at work, the relationship between workplace colleagues and passion that can be shared. This resulted in the 'Week of Attention'. During this week, KLM employees shared their passion with other KLM employees.
'I'm convinced that passion is something that drives people and takes them to the next level', states Irma. 'And when you share this passion with others, it becomes even more powerful. That way, those who share their passion benefit themselves as well. With that thought in my mind, I went back to work at Schiphol following a short stay at home. During one of my first days back, I asked some of the flights attendants from KLM Cityhopper and Inflight KLM whether they would be interested in teaching workshops for KLM ground attendants. These would be workshops that help improve our collective well-being. In addition to work, most flight attendants do things that they enjoy in their spare time as well. This could be Yoga, chair massages, mindfulness, aromatherapy or personal leadership.'
'I received many enthusiastic results to this simple question. Through Facebook, I started receiving more and more applications from flight attendants who had a good idea for a workshop. It spread like wildfire. That is how the Week of Attention came into being. For a full week, ground attendants could sign up for workshops taught by flight attendants. Funnily enough, this week aligned perfectly with KLM's motto, 'Moving your world'. The enthusiasm for the workshops was incredible. Seventy percent of the employees went to at least one workshop. A brief foray outside your comfort zone is great. This also applied to the women who taught the workshops. Talents that they usually only demonstrated outside the company now became visible inside the company as well.'
'Together with KLM Cityhopper and KLM's HR department, we have already organised three successful Weeks of Attention. The results of these events are clearly noticeable in the strengthened ties between employees. This, in turn, has had a positive effect on the approach to customers and has resulted in less absenteeism. Even better, a week like this can be organised anywhere and barely costs anything. I am convinced that this is something that all companies should be able to use, which is why I am reaching out to the many companies at this airport via SPOT Schiphol. We will be happy to contact anyone who reacts to this article. Together, we can discuss what a Week of Attention for the Schiphol Community would look like. What's keeping you? Let's turn this into an unforgettable experience!'
Successful Week of Attention deserves follow-up at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
