So, Dawn Gamble, the executive assistant to the CEO, had this idea.

The  movie, Jack, the Giant Slayer had just come out, so she thought, “why not have a company-wide bean growing contest for April?”

“The Fun Bunch”, the social committee went along, so on April 1st, they went shopping for supplies, sent out a mass email inviting teams of two to drop by at noon to pick up their little pots, dirt and a handful of beans.

Now, usually when there is one of these kind of competition deals, the usual suspects show up. You know, all the employees who always take part in everything.

This time, for reasons no one can figure out, dozens showed up. It was a virtual bean stampede. “The Fun Bunch” quickly started to run out of supplies and had to start cutting the portions for those at the back of the line. People were getting pretty anxious near the end, hoping upon hope that they wouldn’t miss out. I wouldn’t say it got as far as pushing and shoving, but there was some serious leaning in going on.

In the end, every team who wanted to take part managed to get in the game – but just barely.

That’s when things started to get a little weird.

Company wide, folks were going online to figure out the best germination techniques. You could see people hunched over the computers, making sure no one else could tell what site they were on, because you know, just in case.

People hit the stores, buying stuff like fertilizer and mini-green houses. One maniac called up a commercial flower grower looking for the best growing tips (although I must admit, they were very helpful).

Things settled down for a couple of days, with beans pressed between wet paper towels or soaking jars on desks all over the place, but when they started to sprout, all hell broke loose.

People were running all over showing off their beans sprouts like it was some kind of miracle.

Then someone said that they heard that breathing on them helped with growth.

Every few hours people were panting over their plants.

A few more days and then it was time for planting. Every flat surface that is at or near a window that gets sun is now covered with bean plants! They’re everywhere.

First thing every morning everyone skips grabbing coffee. Instead it’s time to check out their “babies”.

And breathe on them.

One week to go and those in the lead are taking abuse, accused of using performance enhancing drugs.

Things could get ugly around here.

Over beans.

It’s Big. It’s in the CEO’s office. And he’s looking forward to getting rid of it.

We didn’t know where else to put it, so we figured, what’s the safest place store the GRAND PRIZE for the Great Facebook 50/50 Contest than in Jody Schnarr‘s office?

So far we had 2300 + people with a chance to win, so the odds are still pretty great for everyone, but there’s only one week to go so if you’re not entered, you’d better hurry!

Co-Founders John and Jody – The culture warriors

Worldline is an ambitious company.

Our goal is not to be a leader in Canadian telecom, we want to be the leader. We are working hard to make Worldline the “go to” provider for Canadians who are looking for quality service at a sensible price, and we are well on our way.

To get all the way there, we also have to be the “go to” company for talent. The best people make the best companies, and as we grow, everyone we add has to be as good as the spectacular crew we already have on board.

But there’s another piece to the puzzle. To attract the best talent, not only do we have to be rocking as a company, which we are, we also have to have a terrific corporate culture.

Which we do.

Have you ever worked at a place where everyone is looking out for themselves? Where there is no teamwork? Where it’s only about the paycheck and “what’s mine?” Ya, we all have, and those places suck. It feels like drudgery dragging yourself to the office. Then there are the places ruled by politics, which I would suggest are even worse.

Not at Worldline.

For instance, look at these programs that all Worldline employees have access to. You could call them perks I guess, but mostly they are simply common sense benefits that don’t cost an arm or a leg, and makes Worldline a better place to work. (You should try some of them at your office too)

Amanda and Abby

Dog friendly environment – The greatest stress burners there are run around on four legs. Particularly the head of HR  Amanda Little‘s dog Abby, who also works as a service dog for St. John’s Ambulance at local retirement homes.

Yoga classes – Every Thursday at noon, the meeting room just off the main lobby is transformed into a sunny Yoga studio, with one of our wellness instructors, Gloria, leading the way.

Wait. Wellness Instructors? You don’t have wellness instructors? We have two, the aforementioned Gloria and her partner Val come in every week and do physical evaluations for any employee who wants one, and works with them to create plans for both fitness and diet.

Fitness bootcamp – Co-workers form four man/woman teams and compete against each other for bi-weekly fitness bootcamps with points awarded for such activities as aerobics, weight training, cubicle fitness exercises (try lifting your butt 3″ off your chair and holding that position for 30 seconds. I dare you!) and of course, yoga, (a big point-getter by the way). It gets pretty hard-core but it’s all under the supervision of our certified trainers.

In House Gym – Okay, not every company can have one of these, but our in-house certified trainers hold scheduled workout sessions with whoever wants one. The gym is available for use 24/7, and employees can fit their workout into their daily schedule when possible.

And coming soon: The Quiet room – Sleeping during the workday? You bet. We’re introducing a quiet room in the near future. A small office is being outfitted with a sofa, a blinky and an alarm clock for powernaps to re-energize and re-invigorate workers who might be suffering from the mid-afternoon nods.

All of these are nice, but they are not what makes Worldline one of the best places to work in Canada.

But they sure do help.