FAMILY DAY <br> AT <br> EVERYDAY MASSIVE
A chance to connect with the extended Massive family.
The sun shines, the creek sparkles and two young boys wage war with inflatable pool toys. The smaller one swings a giant pineapple, a superior weapon which he uses on his opponent in the manner of a carpenter hammering away at a stubborn nail. But like Ali taking punches, his larger opponent lays back against a camp chair and lets his brother tire himself out, before rising up and bludgeoning him into submission with a blow-up unicorn.
What a glorious day.
Back when we were a small team of 12, Everyday Massive felt like a large extended family. Partners dropped into the office for Friday drinks, or brought the kids for lunch. Christmas parties were bolstered by family, friends, contractors and collaborators.
But all that became harder as we scaled. As a team of 24, there are fewer spontaneous drop-ins and extended events. It’s not that we care less, or anyone is less welcome. Partners still drop by from time to time. People play pickle ball together and others meet up for a surf. Yet many of the touchpoints that worked in the past no longer happen organically with this many people. It requires an intentional effort to create opportunities to connect with the extended EM family.
Stubby cooler artwork by Dave Lydiard.
And so the first EM family day came about. A chance to bring partners, pets and progeny together in a relaxed setting. A day filled with food and drink, paddle boards, a soft serve truck and conversations about life, work and everything in between. A classic Gold Coast autumn day in a park by the creek.
The pandemic threw a few last minute spanners, preventing some of our interstate contingent from joining us. But most of the team managed to make it along. Many stayed late into the afternoon, sprawled out on picnic blankets and draped in camp chairs, beverage in hand.
These types of experiences always remind me how wonderful it is to hang out with the team outside work, and meet the people (and animals) who are important in their lives. It’s a reminder that the people we work with aren’t just teammates — they’re humans. Wonderful humans with other shared interests and priorities apart from our jobs.
And that’s incredibly important. Because life and work aren’t always easy. It’s inevitable that boneheaded things will be said in the heat of the moment, when people are stressed, uncertain or under pressure. And when that happens, moments like these build relationships capable of surviving a little conflict. A reminder we’re all just doing the best we can, for our families and the things that matter. A reminder we actually like each other.
Even if we do occasionally want to wallop them with an inflatable unicorn.