Teaching young people a trade

After starting with a summer job, Michel joined Harmeling full-time in 1994. In 2000, he made a career change and began installing kitchens for another company. However, his passion for interior construction proved to be stronger. After just one year, he returned to Harmeling, taking on a varied range of responsibilities: as a cabinetmaker, a mentor, and a first-aid responder.

All over the world

“I knew from a young age that I wanted to work with wood, but not in construction. I prefer the finer work in interior construction, and of course, it’s nice to be indoors. I chose the furniture-making program and landed a permanent job at Harmeling. I have my own workstation and workbench, and I mainly work on furniture for the optical chains Pearle, EyeWish, and parent company GrandVision. I think it’s fantastic that we create store interiors worldwide. The development of custom furniture continues. The furniture is becoming sleeker, more modern, and the materials more sustainable. The trade never gets boring.”

A helping hand

“If you want something at Harmeling, it’s possible. I mentioned that I was open to more of a challenge and was offered the opportunity to become a mentor. I completed a training program and now get to train apprentices. I love teaching young people the craft and making the profession appealing. We’re noticing fewer and fewer young people entering the field, which is a shame. We have such a great profession! I’m also a first-aid responder, so I can really make a difference if something goes wrong on the shop floor. We work with machines here, of course. Even though we work as safely as possible, accidents can happen.”

Give and Take

“We have a 4-day workweek. That’s ideal for me. My wife works in healthcare and has irregular hours. We have two daughters. And if I need to switch days, that’s often just possible. That flexibility works well. I think it’s a matter of give and take. Right now, things are so busy that we sometimes have to work late together. And ‘together’ really means together. Management also rolls up their sleeves, as we like to say. We’re all in this together! And hard work pays off. We get lunch provided regularly, which I really appreciate.”

Number 1 in the Netherlands

“I’m proud to work at Harmeling. Everyone should know about us. Many people have no idea how big we are and what we do all over the world. When I give visitors a tour during the open house, they’re amazed. Do you do that? When you’re standing in front of our building, you might not realize it. Feel free to come on in—to the number one in the Netherlands (at least in my opinion)!”