Mikkel went from a job-related gut punch to three new job offers in a week

He lives in Nykøbing Falster with his wife and three children aged 18 months and 8 and 6 years. 

Until recently, he also worked in this town. 

He is very fond of Lolland-Falster, where he grew up and still has deep roots. 

"It’s a place of wide skies, beautiful nature and people who look out for one another," he emphasises. 

Commute took a toll on the family

On Tuesday morning 27 January, Mikkel Ruff Gøttsche was offered a position at Nykredit Direkte in the town of Høje Taastrup, located 120 km from Nykøbing Falster. He had ten days to reply and was encouraged to go home and think about it.  

"So I went home and spent a few hours recovering, because it was undeniably a gut punch," he explains. 

He liked his job at Nykredit, where he had good colleagues and the employees enjoyed good conditions. 

But the prospect of having to commute to and from Høje Taastrup was a considerable disadvantage. Not only in theory, because Mikkel Ruff Gøttsche had previously had to commute between his home in Nykøbing Falster and Nordea in Roskilde when his two oldest children were small. 

According to him, it took a big toll on the family

"If our children were older, I might have tried again. But not at the age they are now. I want to be a part of their lives. I don't want to leave home before they wake up and get back after they’ve gone to bed," says Mikkel Ruff Gøttsche. 

Meetings and job offers brought peace of mind

It took some effort to make the calls, but Mikkel Ruff Gøttsche stuck to his belief that the worst you risk by asking is a no. 

The calls were worth the effort: three meetings and three job offers before the week was over. 

Already at the first meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Mikkel Ruff Gøttsche was offered a position. 

That brought peace of mind during the two subsequent interviews, just as it brought him peace of mind that he still had a job at Nykredit. 

"If necessary, I could commute to begin with and wait for the right job," he remarks.

To him, the right job is at a workplace where the tasks and the time available balance. And strong local commitment is also a must. The bank needs to mean something to the local community and support initiatives in the area. 

Several advantages at Lollands Bank

With the various options on the table, Mikkel Ruff Gøttsche considered where he could best see himself. 

During the entire process, he went for walks with a former colleague, exchanging views and ideas.

"It's good to talk it over with someone else. It provided me with input that I hadn't really thought about," explains Mikkel Ruff Gøttsche.

He chose to accept a position at Lollands Bank in Nakskov, where he joined as a retail client adviser on 1 March.

"My new manager has been my boss before, and the thought of having to work with him again was definitely encouraging. As was the bank's willingness to go the extra mile for its customers and the local community,"  Mikkel Ruff Gøttsche sums up.

Flexibility counts

He could have chosen a job in Nykøbing Falster close to his family, but he would rather drive 50 minutes to a job he truly sees himself in. 

Two weekly days of working from home, which are part of his new terms and conditions, also help. That means he can, as before, pick up the children when his wife works long hours.

"The bank has shown great flexibility and been truly sympathetic towards me. That means a lot," states Mikkel Ruff Gøttsche.

He is currently getting acquainted with his new client portfolio and the tasks of advising on for example housing, pension schemes and investments.

"Fortunately, Lollands Bank uses the same systems as Nykredit – BEC and Scoutz. So I know roughly where things are," he notes.

He likes his new job, just as he liked his time at Nykredit: 

"We parted on good terms. Logistical challenges tipped the scale."

During his first few weeks at Lollands Bank, he noticed that working in a small organisation strengthens the sense of being part of a local community. At the same time, he has moved from a branch to a bank's headquarters, which means that meeting the managing director has become an everyday occurrence.