HOW DID THE SPORTS COMMUNITY EMERGE WITHIN THE COMPANY?

Even before I joined the company, efforts had been made to find a consistent way for colleagues to communicate and organize sports activities within PDM. When I started at PDM in late 2019, I asked older colleagues if the company had sports activities. They told me there were attempts from time to time, but the events never really got off the ground.

I have always been an athlete; sports come very naturally to me. I was always very active and loved to play sports with others. It is also a natural way for me to motivate others. In my first year-end review, I saw an opportunity to contribute more to PDM than just my technical expertise. Therefore, I proposed to start the PDM Sports Community permanently. Moreover, I wanted to make it sustainable and accessible to everyone. It had to and would continue to exist even if I were no longer involved.

WHAT IS THE MAIN GOAL OF THE PDM SPORTS COMMUNITY?

The main goal of the Sports Community is to create a sense of community and connection among PDM colleagues. In our particular business environment, which is highly competitive and where engineers often change employers, it is essential to make PDM more than just “a job.

Another goal is to increase contact between different teams. Colleagues from different teams get a chance to talk to each other and build rapport. Normally, this contact would only happen during Q-Days and other special occasions.

I also truly believe that the sports community has improved the company’s culture by making it easier for employees to connect with each other. Moreover, it has motivated colleagues to come forward with their own ideas.

WHAT TYPES OF SPORTS EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES DO YOU ORGANIZE REGULARLY?

Some sports we play more often are padel, running, bouldering, and indoor soccer. But of course, all sports and activities are welcome!

HOW DO YOU SEE THE SPORTS COMMUNITY DEVELOPING IN THE COMING YEARS?

I hope that now that we have an established platform to organize sports activities, people will increasingly develop their suggestions. The next step would be organizing more prominent and special sports activities, such as airsoft or karting. Of course, we always continue with smaller and more regular activities.

Another interesting goal would be to assess our athletic potential and perhaps participate in a tournament as a PDM Team, such as a padel or indoor soccer tournament.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY OF AN EVENT ORGANIZED BY THE SPORTS COMMUNITY?

My best memory was running the Eindhoven Marathon.

HOW HAS YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE SPORTS COMMUNITY INFLUENCED YOUR PERSONAL WORK EXPERIENCE?

My work experience has been influenced by getting to know my colleagues better. Knowing what kind of projects they are working on and their expertise and professional knowledge is a great help when I am looking for someone to solve a specific problem that may arise in my work at PDM.