July 7, 2016 | Paul Ijs | Senior Support Analyst
This is certainly true when onboarding a customer with a complex and modified version of SAP or Oracle applications, or when the customer business requires an immediate resolution/workaround, but play is not void at Spinnaker Support. There are company trips to Coors field, the Annual Bike to Work day, happy hours in the break room, a game of snooker at the bar, but one event takes play to a whole different level.
The annual Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) is a challenge where for 100 days participants aim to put down 10,000 steps (roughly 5 miles) or more daily to go on a virtual trip around the world. This is a good motivator for desk jockeys like me to step away from the screen. It provides a nice platform for lively banter and nudging the competitive edge. What makes our participation in the GCC stand out is the unique way that it bonds global personnel from all of Spinnaker Management Group’s corporate divisions – allowing us to get to know our colleagues who we don’t normally interact with on a day-to-day basis.
For the last few year Spinnaker has sponsored four teams of seven members each. And the spots are filled within 24 hours with employees from a mix of roles, levels, and geographies. To name a few:
- A French National living in London
- A cake baking lady from the Scottish Highlands,
- An ultra-runner from South Africa
- The ‘I don’t believe she dances Samba’ Brazilian
- A Dutchman with clogs on
- Oh, and a guy from Atlanta.
All these teammates have a mutual respect for each other, support and cheer each other on, and enjoy some healthy office competition in a race to arrive at the next virtual location before the other teams do. Whether it is a mid-morning stroll around the business park, a run before work, walking the dog, or taking advantage of the walking workstations in Spinnaker Support’s HQ, the idea is to get everyone moving.
A secondary benefit I alluded to above is that it gets us interacting with colleagues outside of our normal day-to-day teams. It encourages discussions across departments, divisions, and geographies. I find it easy to get stuck in my daily routine, working with my team to solve customer issues. During the GCC challenge, I make it a point to at least virtually meet the other challengers – find out what their interests are, what they are working on now. It builds the whole Spinnaker team.
All Work and No Play?! On the contrary! It is All Work and Play, which makes this the best team around.
Happy feet, my friends
