Work Hard, Play Hard…

Tuesday, December 09, 2008 at 9:13 am by Chuck Swanson

At Opus Interactive, we work very hard. Our clients would say that they can depend on us to make their IT operations run smoothly and effectively at all times. And we do!
We also play hard – after all it’s only fair. And the culture that has been created at Opus Interactive allows us to make the rules and enjoy ourselves as we keep clients satisfied, so last Friday, during my first full week at Opus Interactive, nearly the entire company set out to see the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.
We set out in a three vehicle convoy to the Lloyd Center Cinemas, with me driving car three. I’m not so sure that Brady in car one realized that there were three cars in the convoy as he sailed through several yellow lights, but fortunately pedestrians (and vehicles) had yet to enter the intersection as I sailed through. Irony was not lost on me as the movie started with an amazing car chase that slightly outdid my attempts to keep connected to the convoy.
It was an action packed movie from start to finish, thoroughly entertaining as most Bond movies are. The new James Bond (actor Daniel Craig and it seems character ) actually bleeds which adds a sense of realism that I enjoy in movies like this. But what struck me as most fitting is the way that, like the culture at Opus Interactive, Bond works hard and plays hard. Ok… sure he gets shot at and beaten up, but there’s definitely a connection that isn’t lost on me.
I’ve worked at many organizations that reward hard work with more hard work – and that’s okay. After all, it’s their culture. They can make it what they want. But I can tell in just the week or so I’ve been part of Opus Interactive that it’s different here.
At Opus Interactive there’s a sense of loyalty that permeates the air. We’re a small company, but each person there feels trust worthy and family-like. In just the small amount of time I’ve been at Opus Interactive, there have been two car accidents and one flat tire (no small feat for a company the size of Opus Interactive). Each incident resulted in other people jumping in to help. Not unheard of, sure, but no one had to ask anything.
Driving back to the office after the movie, and stopping at each yellow light, I began to realize that indeed, Opus Interactive is a great place to work hard. And you’ll notice that throughout this blog post, I never once referred to the people at Opus Interactive as “employees”, because for the first time in a long time, I feel like part of a team of people.