Niki Fuchs: Why we invest in…recognising our team’s hard work!
At Office Space in Town (OSiT) we understand the true value of fostering the spirit of community in the workplace. We want our staff to feel valued, happy and part of a close-knit family, which helps to ensure that working at OSiT is more than just your standard nine-to-five. That’s why we are continually looking for ways to invest in our entire team and create opportunities where they can prosper, develop and feel appreciated.
To say thank you for a job well done and to strengthen those all-important family ties we are so proud of, every year the OSiT Board takes the entire staff away to celebrate their achievements. This year, we chose the stunning woodland setting of Center Parcs in Woburn.
Taking the whole team away is no mean feat so, once our buildings closed at 6pm on Friday evening, everyone from managers to receptionists piled onto trains, planes (only kidding) and automobiles to get to Woburn. Once assigned to their chalets, each house kicked things off in true OSiT style – with a quiz night, testing their company trivia knowledge, all in the name of healthy competition of course, with some beer-related prizes for the winners!
Saturday morning started with introductory reviews of the business year from myself and my co-founder and brother Giles but it’s not about us doing all the talking. We quickly moved on to the highlight of the morning – the team presentations. Firstly, a group who took part in our Leadership Academy programme shared their work on our cultural vision – we’re already using it as part of our recruitment campaigns on our website and thought everyone should hear the story of how that came about. Then, the real highlight of the morning - each and every centre gave a presentation on why they should win this years ‘Community Award’ – an award that celebrates the dedication of commitment to our company values by building strong relationships with clients while raising awareness of important causes and money for our charity appeals. There were poems, a sing-along, some hilarious videos and barely a dry eye in the house by the end. The team that laughs together stays together and we marvelled at the breadth of creativity and the effort that had gone into every one of the eight presentations; every centre has run coffee mornings, bake sales, sports events and very well attended parties for their clients. It was a close call but this year’s winners were OSiT Mayfair for their creative dedication to the cause which even featured a carpool karaoke video with their clients, by organising numerous fun and inspiring events, including gin-tastings, trick-or-treat tables and a World Cup sweepstakes: all of which had been very well supported and raised an impressive sum for our charity appeal – one client alone donated £500! Beyond this though, the Mayfair team are often invited to attend their clients’ company events, dinners and launches…community is not just a one-way street!
After lunch, more adventures began. We marched off into the forest to take part in activities that would really test their team working skills…literally jumping through hoops, a tree-lined obstacle course - blindfolded, tests of co-ordination and logic – we did them all. Teamwork really does make the dream work!
After a much-needed break, we dusted off the mud and leaves and returned to our chalets to glam up for the big night ahead – the OSiT Awards - dedicated to our incredible staff and our way of recognising all their hard work and amazing achievements this year. Listed below are our very worthy winners and I was blown away by how genuinely everyone applauded for their colleagues even when they hadn’t won themselves.
Operations Manager of the Year: Antoinette Byfield, Waterloo
Receptionist of the Year: Sophie Rogers, Monument
MCR Manager of the Year: Elis Moormaa, Monument
Manager of the Year: Holly Cole, Hospitality and Events Manager
The ‘Cillit Bang’ Award for the Cleanest Centre: Waterloo
Community Award: Mayfair
Office Space in Town Spotlight Award: Daisy Spain, St Pauls
So, as yet another fantastic Office Space in Town retreat came to an end, we all agreed it was the best and funniest yet – celebrating the people without whom we would not be able to deliver the quality service that makes OSiT such a special place to work – for everyone.