What makes Influx fun for its associates?
Deepa Sai
It is no secret that people everywhere pull all-nighters, work graveyard shifts, and have weekend duties in India. It follows, then, that stress levels and job burnouts are as common as the common cold.
Many companies with stringent cultures try out clichéd programmes to help keep the attrition rates under control. At Influx, our work is a blend of technology and creative services. Work is dynamic, schedules are chaotic, and deadlines bulldoze us every now and again.
First off… #
Influxians are not “employees”; we are Associates. You might ask what the big deal about this is. An employee is just paid to do a job; an associate is invited to connect with the company at a more meaningful level. Our association with Influx is what counts, and yes, that is a big deal.
We have a knack of breaking free from the daily grind. #
We work with clients in different time zones. Yet, you will see our guys sliding in and out of meetings, attending conference calls, braving traffic snarls during peak hours to meet clients, and responding to work messages on Telegram even at the crack of dawn or in the middle of the night.
You may ask how we have not transformed into work zombies yet. It does take something to make a group of Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z stick to this company.
This is not a post about creative work spaces. #
We are not modest about our cool office—it also has lots of spaces to huddle, snack, game, and lounge. But it is more than the physical infrastructure that gives Influx its cheerful vibe.
As digital marketers, we have to get the creative juices flowing continually to launch and nurture larger-than-life brands. That can be quite strenuous. Yet, Influx is abuzz with activity and interaction.
On a typical work day… #
Our coders are coding away to glory while enjoying peppy songs booming from a speaker system. The recluses are in a state of solitary zen with headphones plugged into their ears. An assorted group of people from various teams shoot ideas and feedback at one another. All this while racing to meet deadlines.
You will stumble upon heated discussions on raging Twitter trends like #Covfefe and #GST to the background strains of “Tamma Tamma De De”. Or a group shooting videos for a promotion campaign to the accompaniment of colourful curses from the bunch of guys whose cricket match on television has been interrupted. Or software developers brainstorming about fixing mobile app glitches when not busy with the Xbox 360. Or sales guys patiently pitching ideas to clients while ignoring their colleagues inhaling cupcakes and meat-wraps.
You may walk in on office vandals decorating the whiteboards with ridiculous doodles, the occasional nappers who become extensions of the beanbags, smokers who run shopping errands for colleagues, and our top dogs entertaining everyone with jokes (some are pretty lame). You may also be forced to opine on whether Flipkart will overtake Amazon, mediate an argument between supporters of this or that political party, or be the accidental victim of food robbery.
A word of warning: do not get caught in a roasting session, unless you’d like to be meat for our next Biryani fest.
Our very own happy hours don’t just end here. #
We have Town Hall meetings where information is shared about the successful closure of projects and new business accounts won. These meetings always end with treats—icecreams, chocolate bars, pizzas, sweets, and what not! So you can imagine how our team lunches would be.
Once a month, on a lucky Friday, you may be invited to a Barnival - a time to chill out with work buds over plentiful booze and unending music.
Transparency and accountability in our office have given us more autonomy in our jobs. This has successfully prevented us from dashing out the door once work hours are over. So, what do we have?
Happy Influxians! #
Join us on Facebook and feel free to comment on the thoughts above. Tell us what’s cool (and what’s not) about an office that has made an impact on you.
If you are at Influx and see a young lady immersed in researching content marketing with a passion, you’ll know it is Deepa Sai from our Content Development team. She has a double Master’s in psychology and social-work and is an avid blogger in her spare time.