“I value having more time with my grandchildren”
Service Manager Birgit Marquardsen has chosen to reduce her working hours to get more leisure and time with her grandchildren. Like many of Coor’s employees she values the opportunity to achieve a healthy work-life balance.
Birgit Marquardsen joined Danish cleaning firm Elite Miljø in May 2005. When Coor acquired the company in 2018, Birgit chose to stay with the company. Soon afterwards she was given the opportunity to reduce her working hours due to her age, which she didn’t hesitate to do.
“For me it’s extremely positive to be able to choose how much I’m going to work. I value having more time with my grandchildren and I believe that many older people would stay in work if they had more say over their working hours. I’m convinced that there is lots of unutilized experience and competence that we could benefit from if we’re more open to people’s needs at the various stages of life,” Birgit explains.
Flexibility and a healthy work-life balance are some of the best things about working at Coor, according to an internal survey completed in 2022. Birgit Marquardsen agrees. She currently works 22 hours per week and says there are good opportunities to achieve a flexible working life with Coor.
“I have more freedom to plan my own working hours, making sure that they suit my customers and colleagues. I have a great dialog with my manager, who’s helpful and supportive when necessary. Good communication and flexible working methods make it possible to find solutions that suit everyone,” Birgit explains.
Birgit’s most important job is to deliver service to Coor’s customers and to look out for her colleagues’ best interests. Recurring tasks include training, recruitment and problem solving.
“The best thing about my job is that it’s so varied. Variation is one of the main reasons that I’ve stayed with the same company for so long,” Birgit concludes.