“If I still have energy to tinker or work on my hobby projects after work, I know I’m in the right place”

Finding what fits

When Guy joined TMC in 2016, he knew one thing for sure: he liked technology. What he didn't know yet was which kind of technical work suited him best. “I’d spent ten years studying and found lots of things interesting. But what did I actually want to do? Where did my passion really lie? I heard about TMC through friends, and what appealed to me was the chance to work at different companies. I could find out what suited me by actually trying things out.”

His first assignment gave him an answer pretty quickly: not this. After a few months, it was clear that the match wasn’t right. Luckily, his next assignment was a different story. At a company developing professional printing technology, Guy got the chance to design and build new test equipment. “I could really let myself go there. You build something, try it, change it, see what works and learn what doesn’t. That trial-and-error side of engineering is what I really enjoyed.”

And that hands-on approach has stayed with him ever since. At an electronics company, Guy developed a tool (the NAS-CAR) for Configuring, Analysing and Recovering NAS systems. What started as a small project kept growing. “It became a bit of an oversized hobby project,” he says. “In the end, we managed to automate so much of the process that it almost turned into a little production line.”

Years later, that knowledge came in handy. In his current assignment, Guy is working on the successor to an existing storage system. “Something I worked on years ago has now come back again. That’s quite nice. You take knowledge from one assignment with you to the next.”

Call Bob the Builder

One of Guy’s favourite assignments was at a company developing equipment for scientific research. He worked on a machine that prepares biological samples for electron microscopy. And because the machine was still under development, there was plenty to figure out. “That was a great combination for me. Physically working on the machine, puzzling over challenges, setting up experiments and thinking about how the product could develop further. I enjoy being part of a multidisciplinary team at that stage, when not everything has been worked out yet and there’s still room to shape the solution together.”

His colleagues soon noticed his practical approach. “They sometimes called me Bob. Bob the Builder,” Guy laughs. “If something got stuck, I knew I had to grab my toolbox and head to the lab.”

The nickname fits. Guy likes complex technical problems and prefers a practical approach to solving them. “I’m pragmatic. I want to understand the problem and then start tackling it.” Documentation, he admits, comes slightly less naturally. “That’s probably my Achilles heel.”

Over the years, his interests have broadened. Ten years ago, he mainly wanted to work directly on the machine. These days, he also enjoys looking at the bigger picture. “I like thinking about the project around it as well. Where are we going? What is needed to get there? I’m becoming more interested in guiding people and in a bit of project management too.” But don't expect him to swap his toolbox for a desk just yet. “I still want to be able to walk over to the machine and get my hands on it.”

Freedom with a safety net

His employer has stayed the same for ten years, but his work certainly hasn’t. Guy has moved between clients, technologies and roles, with plenty of say in what comes next. “For me, Employeneurship means having an entrepreneurial mindset. You’re in the lead yourself. If I don’t enjoy an assignment anymore, I can say so, and I’m not forced to accept something just because it happens to be available.”

Of course, that freedom comes with responsibility. When an assignment ends, Guy plays an active role in finding the next one. But there's a safety net too. “If you’re between assignments, your income will be reduced, but you won’t suddenly find yourself without any. So you have that security, but you still have a lot of choice in where you go next.”

Guy experienced that safety net himself when a reorganisation brought one of his assignments to an end while he was on holiday. When he returned, he and TMC looked for a new opportunity together. “That’s something I’ve always felt at TMC: they know you and have a pretty good idea of what kind of assignment will suit you.”

A different view through the Works Council

In 2020, Guy got to know a different side of TMC. The company had invited Corporate Rebels, an external organisation, to take a critical look at TMC as an employer. Guy became involved in a project about annual leave and, through that experience, got to know the Works Council. “When the project was finished, they basically said: ‘Have you ever thought about joining us on the Works Council? We think this might suit you.’”

Nearly seven years later, he's still a member. During that time, he's dealt with everything from acquisitions and pensions to legislation and agreements with management. “We’re not a trade union. We have to look at all sides. What does something mean for the Employeneur? What does it mean for internal staff? And what is good for TMC as a whole?”

Sometimes that means asking questions others might not immediately think of. “We’re there to be a sounding board for management, but also to challenge them. To ask: have you thought about this? What will this mean in practice? And in the end, to stand for what is best for everyone involved.”

The role has also given Guy a front-row seat to TMC's growth. The company has expanded, opened new locations and changed along the way. “When a company grows, things become a bit more structured. But what I like is that TMC has still managed to keep that smaller-company feeling.”

He sees it in the little things. People know each other, former colleagues stay in touch, and some even return to TMC. Even when working at different companies, TMC colleagues still know where to find each other. Whether it's a technical question or a request for advice, there's usually someone happy to help. “People are very open to that. It’s still a close group. That’s something I value.”

Three months of travel

One of Guy’s favourite examples of the trust he feels at TMC has nothing to do with engineering. A few years ago, he and his then girlfriend, now his wife, decided to go travelling for more than three months. Guy had been saving extra days off for years, and together they planned a trip through Norway, Canada and Indonesia. They visited family, explored Guy’s family history and, somewhere along the way in Norway, Guy proposed.

There was just one complication: Guy didn't have a client assignment when he left, and there wasn't a new one waiting for him when he returned. TMC supported the plan anyway. “TMC took a risk there too. They let me go on that trip knowing I didn’t have an assignment to come back to. There was a lot of mutual trust.”

For Guy, that experience says a lot about the company. “They didn’t say: this doesn’t work for us. Instead, they supported me and helped to make it possible.”

Still close to the toolbox

After ten years, Guy knows much better what gives him energy. The technical “playground”, as he calls it, still matters, but so does working with people. He enjoys teaching, sharing knowledge and helping others develop. Outside his regular work, he is also a survival running trainer and still occasionally helps out as a sailing instructor. “I like helping people along and sharing what I know. In the end, you want to move forward together.”

Looking ahead, Guy would like to stay in an R&D environment, perhaps moving towards a design or architecture role. But he has no plans to leave the practical side of engineering behind. “I want to be involved in developing new things. It doesn’t have to be the absolute cutting edge of high-tech, but I do like that gadget aspect. And I still like to be able to build, test and occasionally destroy things myself.”

So, will there be another ten years at TMC? Guy isn't looking quite that far ahead. He has a much simpler way of knowing whether he's in the right place: how much energy he has left at the end of the day.

At the moment, he's helping to renovate a family member's new home. “I look at how much energy I have left when I get home. If I come home after work, collapse onto the sofa and feel drained, I know something needs to change. But when I still have the energy to go outside, do some home improvements, tinker or spend time on my hobby projects, I know I’ve found a healthy balance. And for me, that’s a pretty good measure of whether I’m in the right place.”