By Michael Sosnick
With constantly evolving projects and pleasantly eccentric staff, there’s no such thing as a typical day at FunkyCorp. But there are certain rhythms and routines that keep our office running smoothly — here’s a sketch of a somewhat normal, funky day:
9:30 a.m.
Early bird and production associate Nicole is normally the first one in at around 9:30. Other early risers and gym-goers tend to follow, and by 10:00 everyone’s in the office and ready to start the day.
Each team trades off dish duty, so the first comers from the day’s assigned group empties the dishwasher. It’s critical to do this ASAP — we need clean mugs for the Nespresso!
11 a.m.
The content team has our daily stand-up meeting to discuss any hiccups or issues, and make sure everyone’s on track for a successful day at work. We try to keep it short but jokes, stories and cat photos tend to make it go on a couple minutes longer than planned.
12 p.m.
Everyone usually falls into a groove by noon. Staff from all teams have meetings and catch-ups so we can do our best collaborative work. There’s often music playing — current chart-toppers from senior producing editor Kirsty or throwback jams from senior producing editor Matt — and the office hums with productive chatter.
1 p.m.
People start to head out for their lunch breaks around 1 p.m. Some of our more active staff, like digital marketing associate Shiho, head for Gold’s Gym across the street — free membership is a great perk of the job. Others heat up homemade bentos, make pasta in the kitchen, or go for cross-team social lunches of Italian, Thai or Chinese food. I use all my willpower every day to avoid Taco Bell down the road, but I give in more than I’d like to admit.
4 p.m.
Mid-afternoon is normally the quietest part of the day at FunkyCorp. The music has shifted to individual headphones and the main sound around the office is the click-clack of keyboards. People float in and out of the conference room for various meetings, while some staff like to spread out to the window-side couches for a change of scenery.
6 p.m.
As darkness sets in, the office gets chatty again, with senior software developer Beck’s jokes flying and production manager Venus occasionally grumbling. Music fills the office again and the informal snack club, unofficially founded by junior developer Liza, gathers for a few minutes of chips and light gossip.
7 p.m.
We need to work late when we’re battling deadlines, but there’s no pressure to stay just for the sake of it. Some staff, especially those who’ve arrived early, start to head to dinner plans or a hot date with Netflix. Others like to crack a cheeky beer at their desk or enjoy the office’s centerpiece, affectionately called the Trash Bar. This standing bar (which has trash cans underneath, hence the name) and its free-flowing wine are the source of mild Wednesday night hangs and wild Friday night singalongs. Most Fridays the question isn’t if we’ll order pizza; it’s when.