Play Money 2015: We Play, We Learn, We Grow

New vistas, challenges and unexpected connections – at ESPI, we like to spark fresh, creative ideas by dabbling in topics beyond our professional fields of expertise. These experiences help us draw parallels between seemingly unrelated areas, trigger new ways of looking at problems, and generate ideas.

In 2015, we invented Play Money. The idea is simple: we give each full-time employee a stipend to spend on something – anything – that will broaden our collective horizons and contribute to personal growth. People can take a course, attend a conference, take a crack at a new sport they never had the chance to try, or even just read a book (as long as they really read it).

Oliver explains how it works: “We believe learning is crucial for our people, our company, and our clients. We don’t want our team to just sit in the office all the time; we want to support them to try something different, learn something new or improve some of their skills. In 2015, our overall concept was to learn. Together with the Maker Days, this was part of it.”

Looking back on 2015, I was curious to find out how people cashed in on the concept.

Sailing – all hands on deck

Our six new sailors honed their skills at being part of a crew. Last summer, our colleagues Michael, Thomas, Basti and Johannes earned their sailing licenses at the Wannsee, a big lake in southwest Berlin. Thomas and Basti spent most weekends there, with wind in their hair (well, Thomas’ hair) and sun on their faces. Basti abandoned his initial idea to explore lucid dreaming – when you’re just awake enough to control your dreams. “There’s not really a course for that,” he noted. After hearing about Thomas’ plans for sailing, he thought, “water, sun, Berlin – sign me up!” It wasn’t just the boating that attracted him: cycling was also part of the deal. The idea of getting fit and learning a new skill got him on board. “This experience made my colleague Thomas my friend,” he said. Awww!

Thomas

Johannes also joined in while he was on parental leave. The course comprised six theoretical and 10 practical lessons. “It always feels like a little trip, even when it’s just the Wannsee. You’re outside enjoying nature in all kinds of weather. I’m really glad I got the opportunity!” He has big sailing plans for the future that sound really exciting, even though he had to improvise on final exam day: “There was no wind, so I actually ended up paddling back to shore!”

Eric and Andrea took the tiller with all sails up and flying. They went to Lefkas, Greece, for a one-week “all day, every day” course. “It was great because we combined vacation with education. We were five people and one instructor – a tough guy with a luxurious mane of hair and a bit of a puffed-up ego,” said Andrea. The boat caught fire during their first hour of instruction – “Good practice for emergencies,” Eric says. And not a bad way to “learn about teamwork and what happens when teams fail,” Andrea added.

Andrea

Hair & make-up – from hobby to professional

Grit has been coiffing hair, doing make-up and designing sets for the last 15 years. “I’m self-taught, but I always wanted to go to a proper school. I know a lot about the craft, but nothing really in detail.” After a lot of research, she decided on a private course at the Living Faces Academy in Berlin. “It was a pro-to-pro session. We were all very well prepared, and a model was even provided. The professional make-up artist did half the face and I did the other half. I had a lot of questions and she gave me some great insights. We both learned a lot from each other. It was definitely worth more than I spent!” Grit was thrilled to have the opportunity, as it’s something she’s wanted to do for years. “I felt grown up and small at the same time. I was judged by a professional for the first time! I changed my business cards afterwards because I realized I didn’t want to do boring bridal make-up anymore, but more for the stage, crazy photo-shoots and retro-eccentric glamour!”

Grit

Bookbinding – back to the basics

Uta and Irene took a bookbinding course at a quaint old print and book restoration shop. “We wanted to do something with our hands, since we sit at a computer most of the time. When you’re making a book you have to be really patient and it’s nice to learn how different materials behave in your hands,” Uta told me. They each made a beautiful, embossed photo album. “I have all these photos but you never look at them on a computer. It’s nice to have them printed in a handmade album.”

__German classes – a lesson in communication __

We are a very international office and English is our lingua franca, but that’s no excuse for neglecting our German. Matteo (Italy), Anna-Maria (Poland) Sharon, Niall (both from Ireland) and I (Slovenia) spent an hour and a half every week stumbling through conversations in a new and rather complicated language. I asked Sharon what she thought of the TV series about Jojo, (Jojo sucht das Glück), that we watched as learning material: “It’s nice to have something you can laugh at and learn from at the same time.” We both agreed: “It’s great to integrate!”

Unfortunately I couldn’t interview everyone in the office. People had great ideas for spending their stipends: writing courses, dance workshops, yoga classes, swimming lessons, golf instruction and cultural activities. Play Money gave us the chance to think and learn outside the box, and return to our creative environment at work feeling inspired and full of new ideas.