A PEEK BEHIND THE PRODUCTION CURTAIN – WORKSPACES DESIGNED FOR HUMANS
The space in which we work is integral to our quality of life and the quality of the work we produce.
That is why we created the very first Mono so long ago.
It’s also why we work so hard as a company to reflect that ethos in our own sales and production space.
Of course, the people in the space are the most important part of creating a healthy workspace, but by adding art, entertainment and good, healthy food to our job site, we believe that we get the absolute best out of everyone who works with us.
As with most things in life, that begins with food.
A guaranteed meal
Ever since day one, the lunch meal has been a family affair.
It started with hamburgers and hotdogs grilled on our barbeque. It’s hard to pinpoint when the tradition started, but it quickly gained steam and we made it a regular fixture, often inviting consultants and contractors to join us in our meals.
Then, we hired our first employee and they too were invited, as was our second and third. Soon, the lunches became a problem.
With so many people joining, each meal had to be planned and executed, even when everyone was busy. So, we became more professional about it. We made a schedule making a new person responsible for lunch every day. That worked for a little while, but soon we got stuck on store-bought taco packs that someone would run out and buy at the last minute.
Of course, it was better than sandwiches slapped together at home, but they weren’t interesting, inspiring, or any way reflective of our values. But, when you’re busy and growing sometimes you have to make do. And we did, for almost a year.
And then we hired a trained chef.
Going beyond for our employees
Now, to be clear, he doesn’t have a professionally-sized kitchen and sous-chefs under him, nor does he have eight hours a day to create a three-course meal. He spends a lot of time in the back supporting the trades.
But, every day he also takes care of lunch. Since his appearance, we’ve gathered together at the big, DROP Structures family table and eaten some of the best meals.
He also ‘catered’ our super bowl party, which we hosted at the head office.
Going back to our why
Every time we tell people outside of the company that we supply lunch for every employee, we get one question: ‘Why?’
Providing lunch for all of our employees costs money, time and at the end of the day doesn’t earn us anything. If we didn’t supply lunches, our employees would simply bring their own, and on the surface, nothing would change.
But, we believe that a good company should go beyond the surface to create a culture. By doing that, we build resiliency in the business through relationship.
We are not a social enterprise, here with the express purpose of changing society. DROP Structures is a business and at the end of the day is dedicated to making money. However, we believe that reducing ourselves down to simply machines to make money for a third of the day nearly three-quarters of the week is unhealthy.
This means that our employees are more inclined to stay with us for longer, decreasing the cost of turn over. We have also seen the difference it makes when our people are willing to band together and get things done.
In short, it makes work more meaningful and that changes everything.
The ROI of a good culture
The return on investment has been incredible, as the tradespeople mix with front-of-house staff and continue to build relationships that keep the whole company running smoothly and joyfully.
Of course, it’s not as easy as supplying lunch. Building a culture in our production facility and our sales office requires our leadership team to step down from their pedestal and work for everyone who works for and with us.
These lunches are just one aspect of that, and one, to be frank, that we’re quite proud of.