Rafael Gonzalez - HR Project Manager, EEMA Belgium
Please tell us something about your career at DHL so far!
I started with DHL Latin America out of the head office in Florida. I did an internship there for one year. And after that year I found an opportunity, a great opportunity, to work with the EEMA region here in Brussels. So I moved to Brussels and I’ve been here for already two years since December 2005.
What does a typical day look like for you?
On a daily basis I am communicating with our countries and our vendors. I’m trying to get the service on the quality level that we expect and moving towards our objectives and goals as a region. This adds value to the business. As an example I’m in conference calls with the different areas trying to understand the challenges they face for, such as the employer opinion survey. Or I’m trying to work together with our vendors to solve the problems or the challenges that are being faced by some countries with the implementation of the package.
Who are the people you communicate with in you job?
My team does not only consist of the people who are here in Brussels but also the HR managers we have in the countries. It also consists of the people who work for the corporate centre and the people of all the regions. So there is a lot of virtual work involved, such as phone calls and e-mails and all of this type of communication. Sometimes it’s hard to get the information by using these mediums. But the communication has improved a lot in the last three years. And with a little experience it actually works out very well. And it provides a great environment for international openness.
Who are the clients you work with?
My clients are mainly my HR managers in the countries and their clients are the businesses in the countries. So therefore my clients are also the full businesses inside the countries. I’m working on different projects, so I‘m also working together with corporate centres or the people from all the regions. But my main clients will always be my HR managers and therefore all of the employees of the region.
What are the advantages of your job?
I like my job very much. The opportunities and the mixes of challenges it provides are quite unique. It’s a good blend between human resources, IT, and many other functionally decent areas to work in. And it’s quite unique. There are not many people that do this type of work all day. And in the environment of DHL it’s just a great opportunity and a great work to do.
