Arjen described how he was recently called by a 60-year-old woman who wanted to work for CoverWorks in Warmond, a company that falls under the CoverWorks Group, just like Perfect Fit Upholsteries in Katwijk. “She wanted to know if her age would cause problems,” explained Arjen. “Of course not, I replied. We are interested in the quality of the work delivered, not the age or background of our employees. I arranged an introductory talk with her on the spot.”

It is striking that increasingly more people with a non-Western background are applying for a job at CoverWorks, a company specialising in the upholstery of luxury yachts and orthopaedic chairs. “This diversity is not a conscious choice,” explained Arjen. “It is a result of our impartial way of looking at people. We focus on expertise, regardless of your background. And if you don’t have any experience yet, we shall teach you the trade in practice, here with us. We pair every new employee with an experienced colleague who can teach them the ins and outs of the job.”

Autodidact

Arjen has noticed that colleagues with a non-Dutch background often ran their own company in their land of origin, for example a sewing workshop. “In addition, their culture values craftsmanship highly. We need that experience. By focussing only on diplomas, we are wasting a lot of talent.” He described how he came into contact with Walat, a Syrian refugee, at a subcontractor’s recommendation. “He was affixing stickers in the sheltered workshop, although he had had a sewing workshop in Syria. What a waste of his talent. Walat had a wealth of experience and insight into materials and sewing techniques. That’s exactly what we needed. We offered him a job on the spot and then retrained him from tailor to upholsterer.”

Arjen described how he was recently called by a 60-year-old woman who wanted to work for CoverWorks in Warmond, a company that falls under the CoverWorks Group, just like Perfect Fit Upholsteries in Katwijk. “She wanted to know if her age would cause problems,” explained Arjen. “Of course not, I replied. We are interested in the quality of the work delivered, not the age or background of our employees. I arranged an introductory talk with her on the spot.”

It is striking that increasingly more people with a non-Western background are applying for a job at CoverWorks, a company specialising in the upholstery of luxury yachts and orthopaedic chairs. “This diversity is not a conscious choice,” explained Arjen. “It is a result of our impartial way of looking at people. We focus on expertise, regardless of your background. And if you don’t have any experience yet, we shall teach you the trade in practice, here with us. We pair every new employee with an experienced colleague who can teach them the ins and outs of the job.”

Autodidact

Arjen has noticed that colleagues with a non-Dutch background often ran their own company in their land of origin, for example a sewing workshop. “In addition, their culture values craftsmanship highly. We need that experience. By focussing only on diplomas, we are wasting a lot of talent.” He described how he came into contact with Walat, a Syrian refugee, at a subcontractor’s recommendation. “He was affixing stickers in the sheltered workshop, although he had had a sewing workshop in Syria. What a waste of his talent. Walat had a wealth of experience and insight into materials and sewing techniques. That’s exactly what we needed. We offered him a job on the spot and then retrained him from tailor to upholsterer.”

Working is fun

After completing the civic integration course, he was given a residence permit. “Such a relief.” Unfortunately, he could not find a job immediately. “I didn’t speak the language well enough yet. Plus I did not have a network.” Because he was unemployed, Walat received an unemployment benefit. That made him unhappy. “In my culture we are used to earning our income. Now I was being given money while doing nothing. I felt terrible.” Ultimately, he was taken on by the sheltered workshop. He affixed stickers to boxes and made face masks. “But it made me happy because I was finally earning my money.”

He is delighted that he was given the opportunity to work as an upholsterer of orthopaedic chairs. “Working here is fun for me.” As an upholsterer you are exercising your creativity, he explained. “You look, think about it, make something – you deliver a physical result. I really enjoy that.” He is also pleased that he is making something that really helps people with a handicap. “You are useful and provide value to others.”

His ambition is to operate a CNC machine one day. “Since I started working here, my Dutch has improved considerably. After all, you learn a language fastest on the work floor. But to follow a CNC course, my Dutch has to be at a higher level, I am realistic about that.” He is working hard on his language study, because he feels that his future lies in the Netherlands. “Returning to Syria is not an option. The bombardments and earthquakes have not left any infrastructure standing in Syria.”

Looking further

Just like Walat, Julia (58) had a background as seamstress. She was born in Cape Verde but moved to the Netherlands when she was 4. She trained as a seamstress and worked for a long time in a clothing atelier and a company that makes curtains. She finds that upholstering an orthosis is rewarding work. “I do it with love. I always try to put myself in the customer’s place. What if I had to sit in that chair? Are the seams soft enough or do they pinch or rub against the user’s clothing? I always want to do my best for the customers.”

She is pleased that people from different cultural backgrounds work at CoverWorks. “It’s not just Dutch people, that is great. Everyone is different – that makes for a nice atmosphere.” Nuray (52) agrees with Julia. “You actually don’t notice the cultural differences. We appreciate each other as we are. Everyone is different, but equal at the same time.” From her first day she felt at home at CoverWorks. “They look at what your strengths are and what you want to achieve, not at where you come from or what your background is. Yes, they did know that I had worked for years at a curtain atelier, that was certainly a benefit. But they did not have any preconceptions about my background. They just saw me as Nuray. That was really nice.”

Serendipity

Garelmine (44) did not have any training as an upholsterer. At a young age he worked as a car mechanic on Curaçao. He moved to the Netherlands to gain more knowledge. “I wanted to learn how to airbrush cars, spray paint them, repair damage, but I had only a level 3 diploma, Dutch companies didn’t think that was good enough.” But Garelmine is not someone to just give up. Employment agencies found him work covering car seats and restoring lorry cabins. “Covering car seats, ripping out lorry cabins and fitting them with a new leather interior, great job, until my last employer ran into financial difficulty, and my contract was not extended.” He was introduced to CoverWorks by an employment agency. “Serendipity. I had a job interview in the middle of the week. I thought, well, perhaps I’ll hear something next week. But they asked me to start on Friday.”

Garelmine spent the first few weeks in an amazed state, absorbing everything. “Some of the tasks were familiar, but most of the work was totally new for me. I especially found the covering of panels with complex shapes very difficult. Inside corners, outside corners, in the beginning it seemed impossible.” But that all changed. “I was paired with an experienced colleague who taught me so much. That is a great aspect of working here, you learn the trade from colleagues while being given the room to develop you own way of working.” He grinned. “Now I am the corner specialist. Covering yacht panels with the most complex patterns, corners and curves is what I’m good at. The more difficult it is, the better. It is fun to puzzle out the best way of gluing the walls and cutting and affixing the leather in the nicest way. And I’m only satisfied when it is perfect, you know. They sometimes remark here that my work is excellent, but I keep thinking: could it be even better?”

He likes the fact that people from different cultures work at CoverWorks. “It doesn’t matter where you come from and what your background is. It makes for a good atmosphere.” He smiles. “And we make really nice things here, that’s what I like: nice things.” He has developed a love of leather in his time here. “It’s a great material. You can do so much with it. At home I make telephone covers and wallets and credit card holders from it – all by hand, from making the template to the stitching. Recently, I even made my first ladies’ handbag, it was beautiful but not perfect. I want to keep developing my skill there – keep learning. CoverWorks has just offered to put me through a course at a tannery. Great, I’m already looking forward to it.”

Just do it

Arjen is delighted with his colleagues’ stories. “Occasionally, I hear HR staff from other companies say that it is complicated to work with people from another cultural background or ones without the proper training or experience. Just do it, I say to them. Think in terms of solutions, not of problems. Stop looking at people with preconceived ideas and focusing only on diplomas. Open your doors and welcome people in, even if they don’t have the right background for your company or products. Anyone who is interested can shadow our employees for a day or two. We give them the opportunity to become acquainted with the company, experience the culture, meet the employees.” He turns to the front and gestures to the hall where Julia, Nuray and Walat are having a conversation. Next to them, a young Dutch girl is concentrating on stitching the leather from a chair armrest. “See, it is just like walking in downtown The Hague. All cultures getting along and everyone feeling appreciated. Isn’t that great?”