Case studies: HR digital communications manager: Saskia Hoppe

Saskia was hired by Coca Cola Enterprises specifically for her linguistic skills and has already made career progress, thanks in no small part to speaking English and Dutch

I studied international hospitality management at university and although we covered HR along with the other major business functions, I didn't plan to work in that area and had no relevant experience before starting in the HR call centre, where they needed Dutch speakers.

Within a few months, I moved into a new role, taking the lead on a project to update and standardise files and forms across all our countries. After a brief stint in continuous improvement I was offered my current role, which I was delighted to take because it makes more use of my language skills and has an appealing technical aspect.

I'm essentially managing the provision of HR information to all our employees via the intranet so managers and employees can access information and personal details as well as being able to make changes, online, whenever they need to. There are eight countries involved and each needs its own site, not only so it's in the right language for users, but also to take account of different legislation and terms of work. Right now we're working on a major revamp to streamline all the sites, making them more efficient and user-friendly ready for re-launch, so it's a busy time.

What I love about my work is the consulting, problem-solving element. We liaise with local HR colleagues in all the countries so I get to talk to a lot of different people. There’s also plenty of opportunity to travel. In the last few months I've been to the Netherlands, Norway and to Sweden - twice!

My team's based in the UK but is very international - Dutch, Greek, French, South African and English. Even so, we can't speak all the languages of the countries we work with. Our overseas colleagues don't expect us to be fluent, but they really appreciate us making an effort to learn and use even just a few phrases, which helps build rapport.

Having learned another language and culture has made me more sensitive and adaptable to people's different styles, wherever they're from. It's not so much about understanding specific words, but more about noticing how people behave and recognising different work etiquette and culture. I always try to figure out what people prefer and approach them in whatever way works best. I think it shows respect, which is the foundation to effective working relationships. We need that trust and collaboration, because we're relying on the HR teams in each country to supply the right content for the site, as we can't read it ourselves.

I couldn't have got my job without speaking two languages and now I'm studying French, too. So far, it's informal, but I'm optimistic I can convince the company to support my learning because I know how useful it can be.