When you hear Happy Hour, you may be thinking of leaving the office early on a Friday afternoon and sipping your favourite cocktail at half price. In Fruandes, Happy Hour is almost as good and definitely healthier. The Hora Feliz, Spanish for Happy Hour, started three years ago as a way of bringing together people from all areas of the business.
A weekly activity, each time organized by a different team, it's an open invitation to all staff to drop the pen, shut down the computer, hang up the apron, and get together in the large open office area upstairs. ¨Too busy¨ isn't an option. Everyone gets to participate.
Javier Vasquez, Business Manager at Fruandes, said the idea behind Hora Feliz was to always keep in touch with the human side of the business, especially as the company is growing larger.
¨The Hora Feliz has several objectives,¨ Vasquez said. ¨The first is to connect the administrative and the operations part, which is all of Fruandes, and to do so during an activity which seeks to break the routine and hopefully always teaches us something.¨
Jennifer González, Social Marketing Manager at Fruandes, said that while it isn't always easy to make time for a weekly activity which requires a standstill of the entire company, it's become an important part of the company culture.
¨I think the Hora Feliz is great,¨ Gonzalez said. ¨It brings together people from operations and administration who maybe wouldn't usually interact, and we work on abilities that aren't always receiving as much attention, such as communication skills. The operations staff especially loves this activity. It's something they are waiting for each week¨
One of those awaiting the Hora Feliz is Argenis Vargas, Plant Staff. ¨I love the Hora Feliz! The games are fun and awaken our creativity. It's a nice break from the routine and you go back to work more energized,¨ she said. One of her favourite things is to experience her colleagues in a more relaxed setting. ¨It's really fun to see people compete. We all start out super shy and then we start competing and everyone becomes very alive.¨
Adrianna García, Plant Supervisor has noted a difference in her staff. ¨The activities have definitely help in terms of teamwork,¨ she said. ¨It's also just a really nice moment for us to get out of the work stress and breathe a bit before we go back to work.¨
James Díaz, Plant Worker, confirms that the Hora Feliz has helped create warmer relationships amongst the team. ¨The activities are relaxing, stress-reducing. We should have it more often. Monday through Monday!¨
