From a consultant’s life to a permanent dream job at JYSK

Michael Sørensen is in charge of the Business Intelligence system in JYSK. He has previously worked as a consultant and been self-employed, but today he thinks that there are many benefits to being a permanent employee of a company.

"I missed the ownership. An ownership where I could put my finger print on my own projects. That is what I got at JYSK. And so much more."

The words are from Michael Sørensen, who is working as Team Leader and responsible for the BI system SAP BW in JYSK.

He has previously worked as a consultant and been self-employed before joining JYSK in a permanent position. Today, he can look back on a journey where especially the dream of ownership made him apply for a job at JYSK.

A sense of pride

During the years after Michael had finished his master thesis about data warehousing and achieved the title of cand.merc.dat. from Copenhagen Business School, he worked as a consultant for various consultancies before he became self-employed in 2001.

"I had many experiences during my first years on the labour market as a consultant, when I worked for several exciting companies. Eventually it became clear to me that I was missing something in my everyday life. I missed the opportunity to follow my projects and make a difference for the company," says Michael.

This made him apply for a job at JYSK in 2007. Aside from a short time with KMD and Itelligence, he has been here ever since. At JYSK, he got the ownership that he he was missing in the years before.

"To me, it is important to have the opportunity to see the results of my work. An experience you do not usually get as a consultant. Here at JYSK, I can see how my work is put to use every day and makes a difference to the company. It really gives me a sense of pride. A pride that I bring with me to work every day," says Michael.

Heavy investments in IT

In recent years, Michael has experienced JYSK evolving into a company where IT has gained a more important role than earlier.

"Today, JYSK is a completely different company than in 2007. At that time, IT was a necessary evil to sell products. Today, it is an important part of the everyday life at JYSK. It helps to predict the future, offer better customer experiences, and provide a basis for a good business," says Michael.

The huge focus on IT at JYSK has also resulted in heavy investments in the latest IT systems.

"Right now, JYSK just started working on our new Unified Commerce platform, which is the latest technology. JYSK is investing large amounts in the platform, and this just underlines that IT has a central role to play for the entire company today. It makes my work more exciting and challenging,” says Michael.

Focus on work-life balance

Michael enjoys every morning, when he enters the door of JYSK's head office in Brabrand, Denmark, and says good morning to his colleagues. Those colleagues are an important part of the whole company culture that Michael missed earlier in his career.

"In JYSK, there is a willingness to help each other in our work to ensure the best framework for JYSK. It is a key point in working in a large company, where we all work together towards a common goal. As a consultant, your work is often more anonymous because you only spend a short time in a company, where you solve a task and leave the company again," says Michael.

Michael also experiences a greater focus on the work-life balance in JYSK compared with his job as a consultant.

"You can be sure that nobody in JYSK requires you to work 50 hours a week. It helps to ensure some spare time that you probably would not experience as a consultant. As a consultant, there was an expectation that you were always available for the customers," says Michael.

Today, Michael is convinced that he has found his right place at JYSK.