Flowers & Good Coffee
July 31, 2003
Flowers, good coffee, and working round the clock - that's what it's all about. I started my career working on the 18th floor of a very British merchant bank in the City of London. Stylistically, it was quite a staid environment - women were not allowed to wear trousers (and yes folks this was in the early 90's) and men were shunned if they ever appeared in a shirt with a button-down collar. Working in corporate finance as I did, the hours I put in ranged from 60 a week to 80 plus!
In the decade that followed, I moved from one side of the world to the other, leaped from corporate finance to marketing, but stayed working for large blue-chip financial organisations. While the dress codes relaxed somewhat as the years progressed, there were still some unwritten rules that had to be adhered to . . .
Like not to decorate your desk or cubicle.
In the late 90's this was just regarded as plain naff, in the early 00's it was more of a sign of the times - many people didn't have time to make a space 'theirs' before they were made redundant.
But it always struck me as rather odd.
There I was spending the majority of my waking hours in a space with no trace of me on it. But I didn't dare to break the rules because the slagging I'd receive from my colleagues wouldn't be worth it.
So one of the underlying philosophies of Brightspark is that there will always be fresh flowers in the office and quality coffee too. And that's not just for the clients, it's for the staff!
It's back to corporate finance hours of course because 24 hours is just not enough in a day, but at least this time round I can wear trousers, drink freshly made Arabica coffee, and enjoy the sight and smell of Smithfield's finest blooms.