The Pen | Thijs van Woensel commercial manager Deponti

Busy, busy, busy...

I glanced at the clock. 7 p.m. Around me, colleagues - like me - were still working. Suddenly I realized that we have been doing this for a longer period of time. Of course I heard the occasional sigh. Or a phone ringing just a little louder than usual. It is busy. 

In my opinion, we are all busy. Looking at the sales and results of companies in our industry, I tend to explain "busy" in the positive way. Our industry is doing well, sometimes extremely well. Especially compared to other industries around us that are suffering tremendously from the current situation and government measures. So when someone asks me how things are going, I say, "Nice and busy! 

Up close, then, I see how wonderful "busy" can be. Lots of requests, orders and deliveries. All the departments in the company are buzzing with energy. Everyone is keen for everything to run smoothly in order to achieve great results together. 

At the same time, "busy" also has a downside. Especially when the amount of work no longer matches the staffing within a company. When the volume of requests, orders and deliveries that need to be handled is too great. Before you know it, it's too busy. 

It's a fine line between busy and too busy. The trick as a company is to see how to stay healthy then. Especially if busyness is perceived as a burden. People then start to worry about their own health. Therefore, it is all the more important to seek rest in times of busyness, and not only in leisure time, evenings and weekends. There must also be some form of rest at work. This occurs when people can do their work properly. 

Therefore, we - like other companies in our industry - have been busy internally (there's that again) making sure that our employees start and continue to find peace in their work. A first step in achieving that has been to hire additional people. Ultimately, the available capacity in a department must match the amount of work. 

And we are looking at how we can work smarter as a company. Working procedures are being reviewed and adapted to current conditions. Further digitization is also among the possibilities. In this way, more work can be done without costing work. 

And yes, of course a new bottleneck will arise somewhere within the company. So we always keep it challenging not only in sales, but also within the organization. And that ultimately only makes the work more fun. I think. 

Finally, wishing all readers many more wonderful and busy months!