We do things a little differently than most other companies. Where other companies often have meetings for the department chiefs at the beginning of a work week, we have our "Stand Up". Every Monday at 10 am we all meet in the editorial offices and stand in a circle; but not to pray or improve our health.
Instead of morning gymnastics, everyone who comes to the "Stand Up" talks a little about what they’ve been up to the previous week, about successes and failures, about long-term plans and short-term projects, about ideas and pet peeves. Everybody has a say, whether it’s productive or not. Doesn’t this sound harmonious?
Well, it isn’t always. Voices are raised as excitement about different projects grows and it can quickly get quite heated. There are no sweet soothing sounds of tibetan choirs or rhythmic batteries of photocopiers in the background. Instead, there can be cheerful laughter, chaos and sometimes … just the opposite. Some mondays there is only the calm low voice of one person and the loud slurping of 16 cups of coffee accompanied by the almost audible creaking of jaws and eyelids.
Half an hour later, we all hurry back to our tasks. Whether calm or excited, one thing is certain, everyone leaves the "Stand Up" informed. We don’t feel like drones, assigned tasks arbitrarily. Despite the inconvenience of the somewhat chaotic atmosphere, we are given space to express our individuality! This is the main reason we all love to work here.
This blog post has been written by Jan Constantin.
