2. Blog | First working weeks

First of all, thank you for all the comments in the first blog. We are very happy that you are interested in our stay abroad. Therefore we have just uploaded two new blogs. Read them now and learn more about our work & free time!

First day

After breakfast on Monday morning we left the house with Andy and got into the car. We live practically next to Buhler, so we drove just 3 minutes. The first week Andy likes to drive us, because he wants us to get used to the environment. He only wants us to walk once we feel comfortable. After giving our particulars at the entrance, Andy turned around and we entered our new workplace for the next three months.
As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by Alice and Thato (the HR people). We were given a piece of paper to fill out with our information. As we were about to start, Bernadette Botha rushed in, our contact and person in charge in HR. „Come up to the roof quickly, I have something to show you,“ she said euphorically. We looked at each other, nodded and went along. To get to the roof, we climbed up a ladder and then snaked our way through a window. Once at the top, Bernadette explained that they were repainting the roof and she wanted us to examine the view from up here. The view was really impressive and you could see very far over the Roodepoort district.  After we climbed back down, Bernadette walked us around the complete site and briefly introduced us to the other employees. We discovered that we are not the only Swiss among the 220 other employees. In total, there are four Swiss people currently working in Johannesburg.
After that, she took us to our department managers (for Urs that would be Johan Nagel and for Rouven Pieterse Lourens). They then showed us our workplace and the team with we are working.

Rouven settled in and a brief time later Mondli was standing in front of him.
Prince, Lusanda, Mondli, Rouven, and Urs already know each other, as the three names just mentioned were allowed to complete a four-week assignment abroad in Switzerland (BUZ and Bühler Appenzell) in June. At that time we invited them to eat a „hot stone“ with us.
For this reason, we felt very much at home from the very first day, because it felt as if we had met old friends again.
Mondli also showed us a bit of the workshop on the first day and explained what was being made and where.
After a short medical check during the first week, Rouven and Urs could start the actual work.

Work automation technician

Rouven is lucky enough to do the same job as in his fourth year of his apprenticeship at BUZ (=Buehler Uzwil) – Software Milling Solutions. This has the advantage that he actually misses nothing of the subject matter in Uzwil and is therefore well prepared for the IPA. If he were to wire cabinets for 3 months, he would have a larger backlog. However the IPA is created nicely on the existing and communicated knowledge for everyone.

The working atmosphere is very good, there is a great atmosphere in the team. Now and then a few jokes and laughter. If questions arise, the person sitting next to you or other people are simply asked, and they help you in a very nice and friendly way. The cleaners come by at least twice a day in the office area and clean everything. From there, everything is always nicely cleaned and tidy. Another point that Rouven noticed is that everyone has a very easy-going and relaxed way of communicating with each other, especially with the bosses and very high-ranking people in BJHB (= Buhler Johannesburg). Something that is sometimes missing and missed in Switzerland.

Work plant and apparatus engineer

Working day

In Buhler Johannesburg, work starts relatively early. We leave the house at about 6:45 a.m., so that we are both at work by 7:00 a.m.. In the workshop, everyone starts at 07:00. In the office you can march in between 07:00 and 08:00 (Rouven starts logically like Urs at 07:00).
Since it is now spring with us and with you the colder autumn season begins, we enjoy the weather of course😉. Accordingly, it never puts a spoke in our wheel. The last time it rained was in April!
The morning temperature starts at around 15-17 degrees and rises during the day up to 30 degrees or even higher. At Rouven’s workplace, however, the air conditioning is installed, so that even in the afternoon there is a very pleasant temperature. Since Urs doesn’t have one in the hall, he often has warmer afternoons.
So after we arrive, work gets done and lunch is at 1:00 pm. The workers in the workshop still have a 20-minute break each day starting at 10:00. In the office there are not so regulated times, one usually eats lunch at the workplace. But not for Rouven: He meets with Urs, Mondli and sometimes Prince at 1:00 p.m. to have lunch together and talk about the day that has gone by so far. The lunch buffet already surprised us on the first day and still does today. This canteen is the perfect example of small but mighty. With about five cooks and a small kitchen, it is a rather small canteen. But that doesn’t apply to the food! From beef to chicken to pork to fish, it actually offers everything at least once a week. In most cases you can even choose which kind of meat you want. As a side dish, there are usually chips, potato as well as normal salad, rice, pasta and pap, a porridge dish from South Africa, which is actually identified for the Swiss as „white“ polenta. We actually always like everything. For this reason and because of the great hunger, our plates are also very high and filled to the brim.
Our meals with beverage turn out to be very cheap for us with the equivalent of about 4 CHF per person. At 13:30 we stagger back to the workplace with a visibly thicker belly than before.
Our closing time is at 4:00 p.m. This means that we work 8.5 hours per day. However, the law stipulates a 40-hour working week. If we would work 8.5 hours every day, we would have a 42.5 hour working week. So why do we work 8.5 hours per day? It is simple: the HR team has set an 8.5-hour workday from Monday to Thursday so that we can already make the weekend at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Great for Rouven, but frustrating for Urs, who has school until 16:25 on Friday. But he still clears it with the teachers if he can leave earlier and catch up on the VA stuff on other days.

After we are done with work or school, we usually play with the animals, do sports activities, or go on various leisure trips (especially on the weekends). If you want to know more about our past leisure activities, just click here or check out the third blog.