It’s another week at Flow Communications, and, as we welcome the month of June, World Cup spirit is picking up! The sound of vuvuzelas being blown echoes around the office and the excitement around the foosball table is building.
This week we give you a behind-the-scenes look at some of our traditions.
At the end of each month, Flow holds a staff meeting where we review what we’ve done, what new work came in and what’s expected in the weeks to come.
These gatherings are not your normal boring staff meetings – they’re special because Flowstars get to show off their work to their colleagues (and have a drink or two together afterwards!).
A week before a meeting, Flowstars compile slide presentations of the work they are most proud of.
These slides range from super serious work showcases, to holiday photographs, interesting videos and team building pictures. One time, designer Ryan Levenson, who is scared of ‘Parktown prawns’, was nearly bitten by one on his leg. He submitted cartoon of a giant ‘Parktown prawn’ and a very scared man as one of his slides.
Staff meetings are also all about the Star Bar award. Before a gathering, Flowstars have to nominate people who they think deserve the Star Bar award for that month. The winner gets a coveted star-shaped trophy and a signed certificate.
Star Bars are a big affair at Flow: even a nomination is a big deal. And it’s not only people who get the nod – the foosball table and the couch in the design studio have been nominated in the past, simply for being fabulous.
When it’s someone’s birthday at Flow, we sneak out of our studios one by one and gather in the kitchen to surprise them with our best rendition of ‘happy birthday to you’, some cake and a small gift.
Even though people know they’re going to get a present on their birthdays, there is still something great about ‘surprising’ them on their special day.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Flowstars are treated to tasty home-cooked meals - lunches cooked at Flow by our very own super cook, Khanyi Shabalala.
Many of the staff’s personal favourites are the company’s year-end awards, which are usually given out during our annual weekend away. They leave us with no doubt as to just how creative Flow’s management team are.
The awards are relevant, funny and, most importantly, meaningful. These highly contested honours can include anything from the Lifesaver award, the Bling award and the Barney award, to the Gift of the Gab award, the Belinda Moses award and many more.