I love my job. Over the years I’ve had a very broad range of roles from labouring to corporate admin, all of them have had their positives and some of them have had their negatives. One thing I found that has the biggest impact on my job satisfaction wasn’t my pay, or my responsibilities, but rather my colleagues.
During the summer I used to labour at a wharf unloading fishing boats. Our team would be called at short notice to start a 12 hour shift in a -30degree freezer throwing around 28kg boxes of fish. The work was back breaking, to say the least, and yet those 12 hours of toil were some of the most enjoyable works hours I’ve ever had. It was during one of those 12-hour stints that I realised the best thing about any job I’ve done is the people I work with.
Fast forward to 2015 and I’m starting my role at Vapourium. I started off tentatively, as you do when starting a new job, but in no time I found my walls broken down as I shared my life’s successes and failures with my work-mates. My work-mates fast became best-mates, as cheesy as it sounds. As Vapourium has grown and morphed into what it is today we’ve taken on more staff and made more friends.
I know it’s a cliche to call your business a family, but there is little else in the English language to describe the unit that is our team. There have been days where I’ve struggled to leave the house only to get to work and be all smiles within a few minutes of shit-talk with Shalin. There have been days of high-stress where a quick-witted comment from Dan has dissolved my stress and given me perspective. This is part of our workplace culture that I absolutely adore.
All our staff are amazing. We all have sass and wit by the bucket load and it translates to our customers who are often included in our hi-jinks and jokes. I know this post is intended for you guys, our customers, however, I feel like I really need to let everyone know what an amazing and awesome team we have. These guys are the best and I am so grateful for everyone that I have the privilege of working with.
So to the team; THANK YOU. To our customers; you are in the best hands. Ever.
-Cody Peneamene