I missed a phone call from an old friend this week. As I listened to his message, it reminded me of all the good times we used to have together. Mainly because the majority of the office knew how to have a good time. In fact, I have never worked at another place where so many of the people knew not to take themselves so seriously all the time. It's a wonder that we all managed to get so much work done.
That's not to say that I haven't worked with other fun-loving people in a variety of office settings, I don't mean that at all. Still, it's hard to top a place where you can do the following:
- Have a daily rubberband shootout at 4:30.
- Have a happy hour at the office, where it was not unheard of for someone to start a small bonfire, fall pantless into the fountains, or throw an unwelcome Christmas award squarely at their manager's head.
- Have a Christmas party at the Four Seasons, with catered dinner, drinks, dancing and gambling, prize giveaways and a sweet, company-paid-for room for everyone and their dates.
- Have a pre-Christmas party lunch, where tequila shots are mandatory with every office award - and yours truly is awarded for the time she accidentally walked from the parking garage to the office with her skirt tucked into her pantyhose. Title of the Award? "Moon Over the Colonnade." (Colonnade being the building name).
- Bungee jump at Six Flags on the company dime.
- Have the entire office shut down for an afternoon to attend the opening day for the baseball season.
- Take a chauffered bus trip around town to visit projects completed by the company during the year, while dressed in full Halloween costume regalia.
Those are the examples I can think of off the top of my head. Don't get me wrong - I mean, it was no Google, but all the same, I miss the vibe of that office. My current office situation, while most everyone is likeable and easygoing, lacks the same passion, humor and exuberance.
On the other hand, I don't have to type up punchlists anymore. It might have been worth the tradeoff.
