Its funny... Earlier today I was thinking "Hmm what should I write my next blog about?" (so much pressure, Grandma Deanne and her Blog Club.) Then tonight, in one of my private lessons, we were discussing working conditions, company policies, benefits, treatment of employees, etc. And when my student was telling me about her own, I thought "Wow, that's great." This is the kind of company my dad tries to create with Tignum.

First of all, there are no offices. No walls, no doors, no major separation. There are cubicles but the walls are very short so it's actually quite open. The boss gets the corner but it's called "Open Policy", so everyone is always open and free to approach and discuss something. The boss can't close his door on you and play solitaire. And all around the office, it's surrounded with windows (which has great views of Rio).

Then, as nutrition is concerned, they provide breakfast everyday from 7-10am and have fresh fruit in the kitchen available all day. They encourage the employees to eat a well-balanced breakfast and have healthy snacks (two very foreign concepts in Brazil).

Something I love is how they really advocate extracurricular activities and offer enjoyable things to their employees such as salsa dance lessons and massages. I think this is great for their mentality and a great way to relieve stress and release tension. They're able to focus on something fun, unrelated to work, and I see them joking and laughing during the dance lessons.

When it comes to vacation and free time, they make sure that any time an employee works extra or on a weekend or holiday, they have to take that same amount of time off later. So no matter what, you get that rest period.

On top of all these nice things that make the employee feel appreciated, taken care of and important in the company, the building itself is also amazingly green. This building is built and run with so many recycled materials, they use low-electricity consuming electronics, as little plastic cups as possible, etc. For Brazil, that is huge because typically people dont care about the environment and are not very educated about recycling. Even if you try to recycle, the trash men combine it all anyway.

All of this was very interesting and impressive for me, it reminded me a lot of Tignum. I think if more companies can adpot these kinds of programs and better mindsets, a lot more people would happier to work and probably more motivated and more successful.

Now let´s hope I can find a job like that!!!