Wittenborg Directors and Office Staff Pitch in to Clean De Ruyterstraat Dorms

28.08.2022

Team Building Activities

With Block 1 of the Wittenborg calendar year about to begin, office staff and directors alike are giving their all to provide a proper welcome to new and returning students. Part of that is making sure student housing – namely the De Ruyterstraat accommodation – is up to scratch.
Wittenborg President Peter Birdsall and CEO Maggie Feng place great importance on making the De Ruyterstraat accommodation more comfortable for residents.
So, on the Monday of Introduction Week, 22 August, different members of Wittenborg's office staff voluntarily donated one working hour to cleaning the student building.
Armed with hoovers, mops, sponges and cleaning fluid, staff entered the facility and got to work. The atmosphere was jovial, with everyone smiling and helping each other throughout the unconventional team-building activity.

Not Too Good to Get Her Hands Dirty

When Feng saw office staff volunteer helping to clean up, she did not count herself out of the equation as a CEO. Rather, like all other employees, she put on gloves and worked alongside her staff to get the job done.
“At home I do all the cleaning – well, I make my son do the dishes,” she quipped, while organising the cleaning of the kitchen area. “So, I figured if I can do it there, I can do it here too.”
She made sure to group staff into teams to carry out different tasks throughout the building, streamlining the process. "I have a background in engineering, so my mind leans more towards systematic thinking,” Feng explained while cleaning.
Feng, along with Human Resources Manager Maike Nuyken, Student Registrar Florian Oosterberg and Head of Operations and Senior Lecturer Lasantha De Silva, also brought cleaning supplies with them to aid the effort.
Wittenborg thanks them for their generosity and hard work.

Surprising Findings

Birdsall similarly did not skip out on the effort. He and Harry Maatjes, Wittenborg Trustee as well as Financial and Quality Manager, personally inspected the building from top to bottom. During their inspection, they made some interesting discoveries.
For example, while inspecting the roof – which is off-limits to all students – they discovered a pristine, seemingly unused glass all by itself.
“I don't even know how this happened,” remarked a bewildered Birdsall, presenting his find to those cleaning the kitchen.
“Well, young people are quite creative,” Feng shrugged.

Tidy Home, Tidy Mind

When all was said and done, cold drinks were offered for staff members to cool off and refresh themselves. Wittenborg student and intern for the Admissions Department Bonthula Krish kindly took it upon himself to provide the ice-cold beverages for his colleagues. Himself a resident of De Ruyterstraat, Krish was happy to treat his Wittenborg family members for their effort.
Looking around, Feng, Birdsall and the staff admired their work. A handful of students currently living in the De Ruyterstraat building opened their doors to observe things. Feng personally thanked all the staff who dedicated their time to help out.
She led a round of applause for the team, which was joined in by some students present in the kitchen. The students at the facility appeared very pleased with the job.