Private Property started the new year with a move to new premises – so if you’re having moving-induced stress, spare a thought for us. We moved a 20-person call-centre, 45-odd IT staff*, 10-or-so finance whizzes and an assortment of smaller departments over two days, into premises that a mere six weeks earlier were basic concrete shells.
Our now-stunning offices were a bit of a collaborative effort, with everyone who thinks that they know anything about décor getting their two cents in. It’s taken a full month for Natasha, our office manager, to erase the deer-in-the-headlights look that she wore from Christmas to the end of February. But Nick, our finance guy, still looks shell-shocked.
Nick’s the nice guy who, two weeks after joining the team, signed for a proper coffee-maker. But even his largesse was tested by our decorating aspirations.
Natasha: “Nick, look at these reception chairs! They’re stunning!”
Nick: “Nice! How much are they?”
Natasha: “mumble … But look Nick, they’re so super-awesome – and comfy too.”
Nick: “You say they’re how much?”
Natasha: “mumble … They’re quality Nick. And completely unique.”
Nick: “How. Much. Are. They.”
And so on …
Needless to say, we did not get the funky floral armchairs with perspex armrests and legs for our reception area. (In all fairness, they probably were a bit OTT.) We also didn’t quite manage to convince the powers-that-be that we couldn’t function without a splash pool on the sea-facing balcony.
We did, however, get an amazing pause area with – thanks Natasha – a big-screen, a table tennis table and a full-on kitchen that boasts a bright red SMEG fridge, our trusty popcorn machine, the aforementioned maker of fine coffee and two dishwashers, of which our beloved Mrs P is very protective. Be sure to check out our facebook fanpage for some office pictures.
We also all got a surprise welcome pack on moving day – and this is really what I want to talk about. But I’m going to keep you in suspense until next week, as I seem to have used up all this week’s words boasting about our new office space. In the meantime, spend some time thinking about WHY you do whatever it is that you do. We’ve been giving it a lot of thought (mostly over coffee and popcorn while watching Doug and Avish battle it out on the table) and it’s going to make a difference to WHAT we do and HOW we do it. It’s going to be an interesting year.
*NOTE: IT people are generally a bit odd. Ours are no different from the norm.