Esmeralda in the spotlight
Esmeralda Lubbers, Logistics Employee
My name is Esmeralda Lubbers, and I am 45 years old. I was born and raised in Emmen and have been living with my girlfriend for 22 years together with our three cats. My hobbies are taking weekend trips, meeting friends, going on vacation, and going for walks. For example, I am now walking the Pieterpad. (Editor’s note: Pieterpad is the longest walking route in the Netherlands and is 498 kilometers long in total ).
How did you end up in logistics?
That is an interesting story. I had been working in production at another company for 9 years. Then I met Eric Telkamp in the warehouse, and he asked me if I would be interested to work in logistics. I thought I would give it a try and realized that I very much liked it. Now I have been working in logistics for almost 19 years and I still really enjoy it!
How does your workday look like? What do you typically do on a workday?
We start our mornings by taking away the trash from the cleaners. Then I check the computer to see what sales orders have come in. Picking, packing, and shipping goods. I make commercial invoices for goods to be shipped outside the EU, and I also drive the forklift and reach truck a lot.
There are many small activities. Cleaning up after yourself is also a part of it. Some people say cleaning is not part of their duties, but I think that everything is part of it. We all want a tidy workplace, so you need to do something to have that. The tasks and days are very varied and that makes it enjoyable.
Why did you choose to work for Lubo?
I asked Eric if he knew a company in the Emmen area. He was already working for Lubo, and he was looking for a new logistics employee, so he offered for me to come and try working for Lubo. I took up his offer, joined the company, and realized that I enjoyed working here. The people at Lubo are very helpful. It might help that I am the only woman because I sometimes hear from others that if I ask,
they will help me, and if they ask, they will not help them. Sometimes you need to make good use of that.
For me, it is important to have a great team, that I enjoy going to work, and that the company is tightly knit.
What are, according to you, the most important personal qualities that you need towork in logistics?
The word logistics says it all: you need to be able to think logically. You need to be able to switch gears quickly. Sometimes something happens that you must take care of right away, and then you need to be flexible. You cannot have a 9-to-5 mentality. We work from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. and we usually do, but sometimes a package needs to be delivered at the end of the day or you need to wait for someone to pick up a package. Then you do have to stay a little longer. Those hours are compensated, of course. Hours can also be offset against each other. This works both ways, so if you need to leave a little earlier or
start a little later, then that is not a problem.
Be stress-resistant and sociable, because you will be working with many different people, within Lubo and outside of the company, and you need to be able to work independently.
You must also be able to work as part of a team because you need each other. You ask each other for help whenever something unexpected comes your way. Everyone helps each other. Sometimes, we go out to dinner with everyone. So, there is a sense of togetherness; a tight-knit club in which you need to fit in.
