Daan

 Daan's profile:

• Discover Trainee COPS

• Team B2C Customer Service

• Works in Utrecht

• Lives in Rotterdam

• At VodafoneZiggo since 2022

Are VZ and the LHBTIQA+-community at VZ doing enough for Belonging?

By starting out as a trainee, you immediately become a part of the trainee community, which feels like a warm bath. My experience of that is better than I could have had with other employers, I think. Also on in-house and assessment days, in external communications and during onboarding, we really show as a company that this is what we stand for. In terms of organisational culture, steps are clearly being taken to make everyone feel welcome, regardless of background. A nice next step would be to be able to extend this and to start behaving in a truly human-focused manner in all aspects of our organisation and the choices we make.  

What does the Pride Utrecht theme 'U Belong' mean to you?

We put so much pressure on ourselves to feel a part of society, and we’re so occupied by that ourselves, whereas really you should let go of that in order to become happier, if you ask me. Which is not to say that we shouldn’t give others the feeling that they belong in order to ease that pressure. The theme and the ring help find people similar to you, because it makes you see that there are more people like you and that you are not alone in the quest for your true self.

What does the message of the ring mean to you?

If you grow up in places where you can’t be yourself, then you can become so engrossed in finding yourself that it can make you feel quite lonely. This can become a barrier to taking the initiative to meet others, and then it’s all the more encouraging if others show that they’re open for a chat by wearing the ring. And it also shows that making connections is quite easy and, hopefully, everyone feels at home at the Pride.