The Ruby office is business in the front, party in the back! Our lobby features contemporary conference rooms accented with modern furniture. Further in, things get a little more casual, but what this part of the office lacks in modern décor, it makes up for with big sunglass-wearing dinosaurs and life-size Han Solo cutouts. Ruby employees are encouraged to make the space our own. You can see it manifest everywhere you look, and the result is a fun, creative, and lively workplace. At our third quarter staff meeting, we learned that Ruby was about to take it one step further. To boisterous applause, Jill Nelson, Ruby’s President and CEO, announced our latest innovation – chalkboard walls!
We wanted these walls to represent our culture of community and empowerment, so we handed the reins over to our Receptionist Ambassadors, who will work with the rest of the team to decide on a monthly theme. For its inauguration, they chose happiness, a subject very near and dear to Ruby’s heart. Currently, the chalkboard wall says, “I’m happiest when…”, and below are all the things that make Rubys tick, anonymously written by anyone who wants to take part. The theme has only been up for a few days, and there isn’t much room left! New additions are squeezed into the small nooks and crannies as we all try to fit a piece of ourselves onto this shared space.
We felt inspired to create the chalkboard walls after watching this heartfelt Ted Talk by Candy Chang.
Her similar project allowed neighbors to connect and share ideas, which may never have happened if not for the space she created.
Community feels good, and it’s powerful to see a visual representation of our community around an idea that’s important to us all. When I visit the kitchen to refill my coffee, I’ll wander over and see what’s new on the wall since I last looked, and usually, there are others doing the same. We’ll try to figure out who wrote what and laugh at the funny entries, of which there are many. This project has given us a whole new way to connect with each other and the space we share.
What would you write on our wall? When are you happiest?
