It's now almost 2 weeks since I heard that 233 roles in my company in Amsterdam are proposed to be "re-located" to London during first half of 2009 - including mine. Suddenly, the Credit Crunch got personal! Now that people have had a chance to absorb the news, feelings are running high as the reality hits. I have found that every person involved has a slightly different situation.
For some - who are not so rooted in the Netherlands - it is a great opportunity to experience a new country and move on to a new stage in their lives. For many others - especially many Dutch people - it is a situation which leaves them feeling they are without a job, as they have family/friends and roots here in Amsterdam, homes, schools etc. Amazingly, the 233 people involved are made up of 33 nationalities and of course many of the people moved to Amsterdam because of the Job.
The result is a huge amount of stress and emotion. Each day I hear new stories - for example, 2 people signed mortgages the night before the announcement. One guy just moved here, bought a house and a car, and now is looking at losing 1000's of Euros if he has to sell quickly and move to UK. Quite disastrous. I feel deeply for all those involved.
My own thoughts are different as, like everybody, I have a unique situation. Despite being English, a move to England is the last thing I want to do because I have been away for 11 years, and see myself spending most (if not all) of the rest of my life outside UK. It has been such an experience to work in Holland and Vienna in international companies, and I visited 41 countries in the years I worked in this company. UK is not an option I wanted to face. So I see the world opening up and an opportunity to do something totally different is ahead of me if I want to take it.
I am looking at other options in the company worldwide and also looking to see how I can use the time to improve myself. It is a good chance to take the pressure and use it to good effect, as this pushes me to re-assess my finances, employability and personal development.
About Me
- David
- Amsterdam, Noord Holland, Netherlands
- I studied English Literature at University, then stumbled into "corporate life". This brought 20 years of working in international environments, with 4 years in Vienna and 8 in Amsterdam. Needing fresh energy, I left my job in 2009 to re-discover my passions for writing and travel. 100,000 km and 23 countries of world travel later, I am starting my own publishing company called DJB Pubs. My vision is to create a new brand of books named The Essence™ and my first book, titled "Amsterdam... The Essence" is now complete.
