Discovering the other face

Most companies are not all interested in promoting the activities of the private lives of their employees. Work is work and free-time is free-time. And to show "The Other Side" of an employee would be the last thing a boss or chairman would think of during the late hours of his Friday evening because it is considered unprofessional, unimportant and too personal.

We can all be two faced or have multiple expressions ranging from our character to our hobbies. But this is not what your customer wants to see and… neither does your boss. In the modern business world the working environment is professionally strict, pretty formal and rather rigid.

Nevertheless there are some who believe differently. Phoenix Ogilvy is a company that promotes their employees hobbies within the frame of their work. Because they believe there comes a point when we must leave all that stuffiness and let our hair down…

When have you last wanted to stay longer in your office than you need? When have you last sat in your office-chair and picked your guitar dreamily? When have you last decided to quickly sketch a few lines to let your mind drift away from the computer? All this might happen without your boss around, but how about with your boss' approval? Yes, we are sure you are wondering at this point, "Hmmm… this must be the dream job I have been looking for? And how can I apply for this one?" But hold on, it is our duty to give you a reality check at this very point…

At Phoenix Ogilvy you of course don't only get free-time, this would in fact be a dream. But it is considered to be a relaxation method and also helps you be productive and keep focused. This is probably the reason why they have brought up this as part of the company’s working strategy. The more comfortable you are in your office and the more you actually enjoy what you are doing, maybe with a break every now and again to engage in some other interests, the harder you work, and you more often than not tend to produce efficient results. Not just this but in fact, at Phoenix Ogilvy the staff are given a few days to let this dreamy state become a reality when they present 'The Other Side.'

What is 'The Other Side' you may wonder, well, it is exactly that, the other side of the staff at Phoenix Ogilvy, where they are given three days to present their hobbies. But do remember that this does not mean all play and fun and less work, because these guys sure do stick to their very tight deadlines and get their work done in time and this too with a lot of effort and hard work.

Their work is quite stressful and it is in fact very demanding.

There are no working-times, when there is something to be done it has to be finished, no matter how long it might take. Therefore long nights are not a rarity in this office.

They really sit with their heads together most of the time trying to get the most out of each individual's creativity and their working skills, and at the end proceed to an amazing outcome.

But they could all not score this high if they don’t feel as comfortable and happy with what they are doing. On the outcomes you can see that they really love what they are doing! Some of the workers there have a really long history, like having worked for Phoenix Ogilvy for more than 16 years.

Deepthi Peiris has 10 years agency experience and now runs the Audio/Visual Department. But when she goes out on trips for the company she never leaves her camera behind. She is not only a great TV-director but has some stunning photographs to exhibit. Most of them were taken during her work excursions.

The three young ladies who danced together to show a fusion of modern, Kandyan and Bharathanatyam dances, incredibly and unbelievably when you see them swinging their hips, also work as an Account Executive, a Tamil language Copywriter and a member of the Client Servicing Department.

The 'other side' also showcases artists and one such artist who caught our eye was Jeewaka Jayasinghe whose 'day job' as it were, is as a Senior Art Director who has been a part of the staff for 16 years. Jeewaka loves modern art, adding, "I like malakada badu with bright colours," because he likes to get the steel look in his work. In the painting we saw at the pre-launch he had used nuts and bolts over a brightly coloured canvas which certainly would catch one's eye. This technique is something he has not learnt but has developed on his own. "Ogilvy Other Side gives us the freedom to explore and exhibit our other sides. Mine is painting. It is who I am," he said.

The spectrum is incredibly wide. Chamley Ariyachandra who is not only a Brand Activation Manager but also a free-time mimicker, a female war-criticising sculpturer named Sureka Perera who works with living objects which are mostly human, as well as a young engineering professional are all employed at Phoenix Ogilvy, but of course not because of their leisure-time skills but because of their professional work-education and background.

To underline the wide range of creativity that is being inherited in Phoenix Ogilvy, two bands take centre stage. Put together by people like the Account Executive at the Public Relations Department who beats the drums rhythmically or a Manager Brand Activation who strokes the violin gently, one of these bands is rather old-fashioned and traditional whereas the other one is more into Rock'n'Roll and modern up-beat music.

Thus, Phoenix Ogilvy is full of contradictions: Rock'n'Roll and traditional music, photography and official work-trips, office-work and hobbies. But one thing is definitely not a contradiction – efficiency and creative freedom. The concept of Phoenix Ogilvy works. A great output is the proving result that work does not always have to be extremely strict and stiff and that a pleased and happy worker is the best employee you can get. It also shows, as Irvin Weerackody, Chairman, Phoenix Ogilvy puts it, "One needs creative sustenance from something other than his job to keep sane," and by that he surely also meant efficiency in ones' work.

The Other Side will open at the Barefoot Gallery on August 24 and continue till August 26.