Sales Advisor
Sales Advisor
Team Digital Sales SoHo
Works in Groningen
Lives in Assen
At VodafoneZiggo since 2017
'Department grandpa', as he is affectionately known, Sales Advisor Jan Bos has seen it all in his 63 years. He knows the tricks of the trade and always stays positive. "A glass half full or half empty? I don't think so. Take me to the tap where I can top it up!"
Post sorter, chauffeur, tobacconist, estate agent and caretaker, Jan has been all. He's a self-confessed go-getter. "Holding on to a job for 40 years is not an accomplishment I could ever be satisfied with. Bills need to be paid, sure, but a person needs to develop." He smiles. "I say that, but I must admit that I took a job here ultimately because I needed to put food on the table."
Jan applied for a job at VodafoneZiggo's Groningen office in 2017. He is well aware that many companies prefer to take on a 20-something over a 50-something, but feels that's totally unjustified. "They think that an old boy like me is sick all the time, can't keep up the pace and quickly loses the plot. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course, we tend to be sensible, calm, steady... plus we have bags of experience." VodafoneZiggo is switched on to such qualities. "So I was hired. And what a golden choice they made, because I get the most orders of the whole department."
A hard worker like Jan is one a company wants to keep on board, but for almost four years, the department had to make do without him. "In 2014, my wife was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Three years later, she couldn't go to the toilet without help from a nurse and that's when I decided that I should stay at home to look after and care for her." When he told his manager, Jan had expected some protest. "But instead, I was shown great appreciation and kindness. I couldn't have wished for more compassion at such a vulnerable moment in my life."
His wife passed away in January 2022. "I miss her each day," says Jan, "but I'm not the type to hide away in grief. Life goes on, my life goes on." And so he came back to his old job at his old department, and Jan was delighted by the welcome he received. "My colleagues took a genuine interest and gave me so much support and love. My return felt like a warm bath. There's a real atmosphere of mutual understanding at VodafoneZiggo, one in which people are encouraged to show their feelings. And when you do, you suddenly realise that everybody is there for you. I've never seen or felt anything like it at another employer."
Jan is now back in his old familiar role and preferably at the office every day, surrounded by people a lot younger than he is. "That's something I enjoy so much. They keep me young at heart and teach me all kinds of wonderful things. Did you know that by double-clicking your mouse you can select an entire word or number?" He chuckles. "I only found out recently!" Jan likes to teach his colleagues a thing or two, too. "I think it's important to pass on positivity, a certain work ethic. I'm always on time, I work the full eight hours and do my very best to be someone my colleagues can build on. I want to be an example to them."
Another four years and Jan will have reached retirement age, but he's not thinking of quitting quite yet. "VodafoneZiggo is good to its staff, so we're good in return. If they still need me, I'll hang around a little longer. And a lot of that is down to the pleasant working atmosphere. Your direct boss feels more like a friend than a colleague, and that's the kind of atmosphere I'm perfectly happy to contribute to for as long as I can. Well, all right, perhaps four days a week."
