Meet Paul
'Working at Action has coloured my heart blue'.
Paul Kok, Central Process Control OfficerAbout Paul
Before Paul Kok started working at Action, he was a professional football player. When he switched to another club, he got more time and scope for a second job. He chose Action’s distribution centre in Zwaagdijk, which he liked so much that he still works there today, just over twelve and a half years later. He is no longer an order picker and footballer, but in a full-time coordinating role at the Central Process Control department at the Action head office.
12.5 years of service. What a milestone! How did you celebrate it?
I definitely did! It happened a couple of weeks ago. I received a beautiful bunch of flowers and a nice cash bonus. And I had a great day at work with my team.
"I started "on the floor'"and by constantly doing my best, I progressed quickly."
What made you stay for all these years?
In one word: career opportunities. I started "on the floor". Then, by constantly doing my best, I progressed quickly. At school, I never knew which way I wanted to go, or what job I wanted to do later in life. It was quite difficult. At Action, my managers have always noticed what I can do and given me the opportunities and challenges I needed at the time. That’s how I started as an order picker, progressed to leader and eventually became a Central Process Control Officer.
Can you tell us what you do as a Central Process Control Officer?
When I started at Action, we had one distribution centre and 200 stores in the Netherlands. We now have 12 distribution centres and more than 2,250 stores in over 11 European countries. You can imagine that this requires a substantial logistical operation. A few years ago, the decision was made to organise a number of tasks for the distribution centres centrally and the Central Process Control department was created. From here, I work with my team to ensure that all the orders from all the stores are fulfilled. This means that products are on the shelves on time and fully available. And we are an important point of contact for both the distribution centres and the headquarters. As a Central Process Officer, I engage fully with people across the entire organisation to ensure that they align with each other..
What do you like so much about your work?
First of all, I like my work because it’s very varied. We work in shifts. As a result, I have a different range of tasks every week. One week, I might be seeking out and answering questions in the support department. When will a specific delivery arrive? Why has a certain delivery not arrived? Another week I might be working intensively on planning during the order processing service. I also really like my team. We are a close-knit club, and we get on well together. And if something goes wrong, we cover for each other without hesitation. I also like the flexibility that Action gives me to mostly organise my working days myself. In the meantime, I’ve become a father of two children, with a third now on the way. So being able to work from home from time to time is nice for my family life.
Tell us about a special moment you won't soon forget?
I am, of course, very proud of my various promotions, but I actually find Action’s continuous growth and the fact that I am part of it the most special thing. Every year a new distribution centre, every year dozens of new stores – that’s something we all achieve together. And despite this huge growth, we have remained so normal and down-to-earth. I still see people around me who worked here twelve and a half years ago. My heart has been coloured slightly blue over the years from working at Action.