With one step into our office on Ingersoll Ave, visitors are greeted by a pile of shoes and several racks of slippers. Watching the expressions of first time guests is priceless. Some don’t even notice this small detail while others are quick to question the story behind the slippers.
On my first visit to the office a year and a half ago, I was one that didn’t notice the slippers right away. After this discovery, I even thought it was a little “odd” at first. Having a background of working with IT professionals, I thought I understood the geek culture but didn’t fully grasp it until my first week or two at Source Allies. The slippers are a small piece of the puzzle when it comes to the Source Allies culture. I now can’t imagine having to wear shoes, not slippers, ALL day long!
As the Office Manager at Source Allies, a few of my main duties consist of dealing with HR related issues (recruiting and screening candidates, organizing interviews, reviewing on boarding paperwork for new hires and continually updating and reviewing benefit related issues) as well as Accounts Receivable invoicing (verifying time entries by our employees for billing accuracy). These tasks in particular require a constant line of communication with all of our employees. Communication hasn’t always been too easy with our employees and I’ve found that a major reason why I’ve struggled with this is because of personality trait differences… I consider myself an extrovert where as the majority of the Source Allies staff would most likely be classified as introverts. What is the difference you ask? The main difference between the two personality traits is that introverts get their energy from themselves whereas extroverts get their energy from other people or activities. The communication methods between introverts and extroverts vary greatly. This article has helped me understand how to communicate better with our staff!
Curious if you’re an introvert? Take this quiz to find out!
The shoes thing might seem a little odd at first but it’s really quite an excellent practice that should really be implemented just about everywhere possible. Switching between outdoor and indoor shoes keeps any indoor place cleaner and more comfortable.
One thing I love about the Source Allies Office/Culture is the Openness. Everybody is using opensource software. Everybody is willing to share information and work openly, including the presentations. and especially the open floor plan in the office. I’m no feng shui master but I feel like the layout of the office is a huge aid in keeping that flow of information and relation building alive.
I also did not notice the slippers and then once I was told about it I was so surprised that I didn’t really pay much attention to it.
12/29 on the quiz so I learned I’m both introvert and extrovert.
Ohhh, so I am an introvert? That explains everything…