Okay, maybe not all of them. But at bpost, nothing stops you from pursuing the career you want. And so, you can start as a postman/postwoman, for example, and after a few years end up in the HR Shared Service Center department. We meet Anne-Catherine Thibaut de Maisières, Nancy Del Rio Sanchez and Filip Darcon who share their experiences with us today.

Anne-Catherine, you are currently in charge of the HR Shared Service Center. What exactly does that entail?

Anne-Catherine: “At bpost, our department is best known as HRCC – it stands for HR Contact Center. We are responsible for the front and back office for everything to do with HR administration at bpost, including payroll.”

Front office? Back office? What exactly is that all about?

Anne-Catherine: “The front office gives our employees access to our department, either digitally via Contact HRCC or via e-mail, or phone. The 26,000 employees of bpost can get in touch with HR via HRCC. The back office is the administrative processing of the various human resources issues that come into the department.”

And you manage all of that?

Anne-Catherine: “I also manage the transformation of employee services, with the aim of modernizing them. On the one hand by making it more digital, and on the other hand by offering more self-service options, which give employees more autonomy. They can now carry out certain transactions themselves using the bpost4me application, so they no longer have to wait for our call center's opening hours.”

What skills should people have if they want to join your department?

Anne-Catherine: “Our work requires you to be able to juggle different regulations and to respond to questions from employees with different statuses: statutory employees, contractual employees with or without fixed pay scales ... Our employees have to be very attentive in order to handle files correctly.”

Several of your employees were able to take advantage of bpost's internal mobility program. Can you tell us more about that?

Anne-Catherine: “Indeed. The same goes for Nancy and Filip who can tell you about their personal experiences.”

Do many people take advantage of this system?

Anne-Catherine: “More and more so, and we want to increase the number of internal moves still further. As soon as new positions need to be filled, bpost promotes them to attract the interest of colleagues already working in the company. bpost also encourages managers to support these internal applications.”

And that's how you joined the HR Contact Center, Nancy and Filip?

Nancy: “That's right. Initially, I was working in the field, as a human resources manager. So, I already had some HR knowledge, and the fact that this was an interesting promotion made me enthusiastic to join the HRCC. But there was also that urge for change: previously I was on the shop floor, and I wanted to see what it was like at headquarters.”

Did you apply spontaneously or were you asked?

Nancy: “I applied for the job myself. I regularly checked the job offers for bpost staff and I set up a notification. Whenever a position became available for an HR-related job, I read the profile. And that's how I came across this job offer.”

Filip: “With me, things went a little differently. I had been working at bpost for almost 20 years and then decided to take a 6-month career break. When I returned, I looked at the job offers on bpost's internal site. I saw that they were recruiting for the HR Contact Center, applied for a temporary assignment within this department ... and voilà!”

What job did you do before your career break?

Filip: “I have been working at bpost since 2003. I have worked in many different departments: at Taxipost, at the counter, in mail, in customer service, in the sales department ... In fact, I was constantly itching for change: I like taking on new challenges and expanding my horizons. The result: I have cultivated the habit of changing jobs after a certain period of time (laughs).”

Nancy, when you applied for the HRCC job, were you encouraged by your boss?

Nancy: “Yes, I received his full support.”

Filip: “In my case, I didn't really have a superior, as I was on career break. I simply submitted my application for a temporary assignment ... and after a few months it changed into a permanent job.”

How would you describe the relationship with your colleagues? Do you enjoy working remotely?

Filip: “Personally, I prefer working in Brussels than at home in Antwerp. At home I’m easily distracted, which is less the case here. I also like the social contact here and I work more efficiently when I’m in the office. So, I work from here as much as possible.”

Nancy: “For me, it's different. I live in the Condroz and the drive takes about two hours. So I prefer to work from home. Especially because I'm just less distracted when I work at home!”

Finally, what advice would you give to an employee who wants to evolve within bpost?

Filip: “If, like me, you like change, bpost really offers its employees a great opportunity. And it's also an advantage for the company, because every time you change functions, you learn new things and become more efficient. At the same time, you bring new perspectives and share the knowledge you've acquired during your previous experiences. So, everyone benefits, both bpost and its employees.”

Nancy: “I joined bpost with my sixth grade diploma. I started working as a bpost postwoman and then evolved to end up where I am now. bpost offers opportunities for everyone, for example to get your higher secondary education diploma. It really is open to everyone; you just have to want to progress ... and take the first step yourself!”

So, moving up at bpost is not an unattainable dream. Filip and Nancy have done it, as have many other employees. Some even at an international level. Discover the story of Elke Segers, SVP Network and International Relations for Landmark Global at bpostgroup.