Confessions of a Former Party Planning Committee Lead

I’m a Project Engineer at All4 Inc.; but that’s not all that I am.  At ALL4, everyone has more than just a “technical role” within the company.  In fact, some people have more non-technical roles than technical roles.  That’s one of the benefits of working in a small company.  You get to do extra-curricular tasks that interest you and benefit the company.  In fact, I am participating in one of those roles right now by writing this blog.  I am an engineering graduate; so naturally, most of the writing that I did in college was technical writing (i.e., lab reports).  However, at ALL4, employees are encouraged to step out of the proverbial comfort zone and write some blogs (both technical and non-technical).  This blog that I am writing is going to be a walk down memory lane for one of the roles that I have enjoyed taking on, but have recently transitioned to someone else in the company.

One of the most important pieces of company culture is attending events with co-workers outside (or inside) the “normal workday.”  These types of events are known as “Recess Activities” at ALL4 and they are great opportunities to unwind and get to know your co-workers on another level.  These activities aren’t going to plan themselves, however.  Therefore, it is someone’s responsibility to plan and organize events that the employees at ALL4 can get excited about and build relationships by attending the activity.  For the past 2 ½ years, that person has been me, and I have loved every minute of it.  The cool thing about this position is that it was offered to me when I was only four months into my career at ALL4.  All that power at such a young age; of course it interested me, and I jumped at the opportunity.  From planning the events, to making the weekly company-wide announcements of upcoming activities, to seeing the smiles on the faces of co-workers that attended the event, each aspect of this position has been very rewarding. 

The responsibility of the Recess Coordinator is to plan fun, enticing events throughout the year.  Have you ever watched NBC’s The Office?  Great show.  There was a committee on that program known as the Party Planning Committee.  I have seen many similarities between the Party Planning Committee of Dunder Mifflin and the Recess Coordinator position at ALL4 since I lived it from the inside.  Basically, I was given a budget to stick to, but as long as our committee stuck to the budget, we had pretty much free reign of selecting activities.  Some of my favorite events during my time as the Recess Coordinator include (but are not limited to): golfing, skiing/snowboarding, attending sports outings, bowling, wine tasting, go-karting, grilling out on the back patio, taking a party limo bus to minor league baseball games, and laser tagging. 

This position did require me to put in extra time in addition to my normal work schedule, but it was something that I could psych myself up for.  I liked brainstorming potential events with the other members of the Recess Committee, and trying to be creative in the selection of activities.  I can comfortably say that in these past few years, ALL4 has participated in a healthy variety of activities.  I have decided that it is time to transition this position to the next person passionate enough to take on the role.  I am happy to announce that my friend, and colleague, Sean Cunningham will be assuming the position as the next Recess Coordinator.  Sean has some fun ideas up his sleeve and I’m excited to see what recess events transpire this year and beyond.