Not so corporate culture

My internship has been such a great experience and it saddens me that our time in London is slowly getting closer to coming to an end. I am placed at Landmrk, which is a geo-mapping platform that can be fully branded for any type of company. To my surprise, the company also has two other businesses, Thirsty Thoughts and Strange Thoughts. I find myself doing most of the work for Thirsty Thoughts which is an innovative drinks invention company who creates many brand activations varying in robots and other types of emerging technology.

Home of Homer 3.0: A mind controlled beer pouring robot

As soon as I walked in on my first day I could tell there was nothing but passion in these startups. All the employees were very knowledgeable about the company and did a great job training me to ensure that I understood all areas of each company. I can tell that the values of this company are dedicated to enhancing experiences for their clients in order enhance their customers experience. I can definitely tell the passion in most of my coworkers as they are constantly busy doing work, yet also taking the time to relax and take time to chill out and have fun.

When I arrived at work on my first day I was welcomed by my colleague Sam who I don’t think was prepared for me to come but he covered it pretty well. I was given slide decks that reviewed all the companies so right away I was familiar with the company background, the clients, and their goals. Since my first day I’ve felt nothing but appreciation from my colleagues. They are always very positive and recognize my work I do for them daily. Since neither company has a specific person who’s in charge of advertising/marketing, they put a lot of trust in me to create social media posts, launch adverts, and create content.

Used by Ariana Grande, Louis Tomlinson, and Shakira, absolute legends

The company morale is tied directly to to their goals for the companies. There’s a good balance between work and play in my office and between my colleagues. There’s an even split between colleagues who are working constantly and the other half including Sam and my supervisor Ed always make sure to take the time to work and take some mental breaks.

I feel like this type of work behavior is in line with their goals. They're an innovative creative company passionate about making inventions for their clients, so naturally they have to be professionals in letting loose once in a while.

Before starting my internship we were prepped a lot on how the work culture will be different from America. One of my biggest fears was the notorious indirectness when it comes to delegating work. They use phrases such as “if you have time, could you?” and “oh that’s interesting” which mean exactly the opposite. I was scared for this because I’m the type of person that needs complete directness and I need to be told exactly what to do in order for me to get it done.

I haven’t experienced this sort of language yet, which was a huge relief. My colleagues definitely are direct and ensure answer any questions I have. I appreciate everything they have done for me and all the tasks they’ve given me so far have been equally beneficial for both of us.

Overall, I love my internship experience and I know I will be very sad to leave. My coworkers always joke and tell me to just quit uni and stay with them, it’s very tempting. I feel like I’m definitely apart of the team and I look forward to go into the office every day. I’m looking forward to see how the rest of my time is and to see if I make any other major accomplishments while working.