My dear Reader,
My name is Deliana. A couple of months ago I shifted from working as a financial consultant to working as a copywriter for AYG Romania. It’s been something. So, in order to get a taste of the significance of being an #AYGer, take this short tour with me, will you?
*chm-chm* Roger. We are ready for the AYG Romania tour. Preparing for take-off. Awaiting instructions.
I’m not pretending to be a full-on #AYGer, but at least half the time, I’m fully present here, doing my best to blend in and improve. I face my challenges, just like you! And because I’m quite a difficult (read complex) figure, my co-workers face theirs too, no worries. It’s more fun this way, don’t you think?
So, dear Colleagues, this is for you:
My name is Deliana. A couple of months ago I decided to do what I was passionate about. Unexpectedly, a person whom I deeply admire, treasure and respect was there to pitch me this job. It was the first time in my life to have been head hunted and, on a funny note, yes, it felt flattering enough. Thus, I got to be pretty enthusiastic about it all. This is how I got here. So, what did I get to?
AYG Romania – My 100 square meters of freedom
According to OfficeFinder.com, a typical office has 16 – 23 square meters per employee. We’re a team of 9 gathered up in 100 square meters, which means a little over 11 square feet per person. That could be a tiny home – as in the Tiny House Movement – a social movement in which people downsize the space they live in to an area between 100 and 400 square feet. How cool is that? I have my own mini-space scattered around this cozy red and white office in which we are free. We are free to create; we are free to generate new ideas, to listen to our own music, to dance, to make our own working schedule, to play darts, read a book from the office shelves or go for a walk on the beach during breaks; every moment, we are encouraged to strive for whom we want to be and to be who we really are.
Therefore, thank you, beautiful people, for taking me as I am and welcoming me into your space. It’s good and I appreciate coming to a place where you can feel safe and respected with both your positives and the little quirks. For sure, sometimes we take all of the above for granted.
AYG Romania – My Everyday “Mission Impossible”
Morning – 6 a.m – alarm clock goes off, I snooze it and go back to sleep. Morning – 8 a.m. – second attempt. My bare feet touch the ground and I start to figure out where I am. As I’m making the coffee, the blur goes away. I reach for the sugar but, then I remember that together with some of my colleagues we’re doing The Whole30 – this quite popular detox diet. We’re encouraging, supporting each other and having fun together at the same time.
I leave for work with the headphones plugged in, so I’d build up positive energy and greet everyone with a smile. I don’t always get it right, but that’s why I have a room full of people who put on a happy face when I enter. (though I’m not sure they really like me ALL the time *wink)
As stated earlier, I have my own desk. One of my requests was a window office. I can see the sky from here. It’s supposed to help my creative spirit get its divine inspiration from God. This is the station where I get my “orders” from. Since we’re doing something new every day, I always feel like I’m in Mission Impossible – the movie – and I get a brief that starts with “#AYGer, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is…”
Most of the times, I’m a happy worker (keyword – worker *smile). Economists at the University of Warwick have shown that because of that, I’m 12% more productive. I’d ask for my boss’ opinion on this… Better not, because we both need a nice weekend. The rest of the times I’m an introvert with headphones, an attitude and a “But, why?” permanently up my sleeve.
Then, there comes a very pleasant time in our day when we have lunch together. At least culturally, I believe that we get to treasure sharing a meal quite a lot. It’s a blessing, I’m telling you; a blessing that feels like you’re at home, among family.
Another common trait of #AYGers is that we don’t leave work as soon as the clock goes coo-coo. Usually, there’s no one to point a gun at us so that we’d stay longer. We usually do it because we feel we’re supposed to stop when we’re done, not tired; to quote one of my colleagues, we do it “out of respect; both for our employers and ourselves”.
Andrew Oswald, the same University of Warwick economist we cited above, states that at Google, due to employee support and focus on satisfaction initiatives, employee satisfaction rose 37%. So, I’d say that in AYG Romania, support and satisfaction come somewhat natural – and that’s something to appreciate, nurture and develop in the future, as the company expands.
Thank you, dear co-workers, for being open and sharing all of these things every day. Thank you for being a continuous and refreshing inspiration and an example of integrity and passion. Thank you for teaching me what AYG Romania means to you by actions and not just words.
AYG Romania – My one and only tribe
What is a tribe? Well, a tribe is a somewhat small social group of individuals who connect together to support each other’s work and to help one another achieve a common goal. These days, being a team is not enough anymore. So, dear colleagues, in order to answer a more profound question – whether AYG Romania can constitute itself as a tribe or not – I have conducted an internal, extremely complex study with the following results.
When asked what did it meant to be an #AYGer, 80% have mentioned some variation of spending time with their co-workers, proving once again that it’s about the people more than anything else. We have mentioned open, cool, interesting and awesome as some key characteristics of our peers. Regarding the extremes, 20% had mentioned friendship.
The first emotional reaction we have to this team is enjoyment. So, for AYG Romania, happy workers determine workers who enjoy the company of their peers. Specifically, this translates into having fun (40%), experiencing a feeling of gladness to be here (40%) and going through everyday challenges (20%).
The second most mentioned element of my study was continuous development, whether it took the form of continuous learning or personal and professional improvement. 60% of #AYGers have declared that they are going through this ongoing progress. It seems that people greatly appreciate and value their own development.
Interestingly enough, only 40% referred to teamwork as part of the main descriptor of being an #AYGer.
So, it looks like in today’s millennial bred environment, we are more focused on the quality of our work relationships and that of our own growth process, rather than quantity or having collective focus.
Choosing Fridays as game nights, going to the movies together, having talks on human trafficking, politics and other public interest topics, holding internal training sessions, generally sharing useful information, tools or concepts, using a red sofa for creative meetings are just some of the manifestations of the AYG Romania tribe.
Thank you, dear team members for being overachievers in this area, as well. Moreover, thank you for allowing me to come as I am and integrating me in your tribe.
Yes, dear tribe members, this is what I got into. I believe I am both grateful and glad for it. I look forward to enjoying you all and to creating more and more delightful moments and growth opportunities together.
With deep appreciation,
Deliana.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear Readers, this was our tour through AYG Romania. Thank you for accompanying us. We hope it was as entertaining and delicious as for us. It’s been something, right? If ever, we hope you’ll have a great stay here at AYG Romania.
I am Deliana and had been your tour guide for this trip. Over and Out.
