From Virtual to Off-Screen: Growth Rocket’s Newbie Night

As Growth Rocket transitioned to a work-from-home set-up, we needed more people to join our team and help with daily business operations. Finding the right person was no easy task because, while there were many applicants, not all were the perfect fit.

Each department grew tremendously during quarantine, which meant more individuals that current employees had never met in person. We all wondered, “How is this person off-cam? Do their personalities differ online and when face-to-face? Are they quiet or talkative?”

There were a lot of lingering questions unanswered. While Growth Rocket had a team building last June 2022, management wanted to dedicate a special event to get to know the newbies. 

Meeting the Newbies

While some newbies couldn’t make it to the event, most were present to spend the night with everyone. I was the first pandemic hire that started it all. Together with me was fellow Content Department newbie, Stela. The SEO Team’s new hires included Mayumi, Chea, and Monique. The two departments had Sab and Aila missing in action.

The Engineering Team had the most newbies: Jean, Lester, Rodel, Arjay, and Julius. However, Elva, the only girl in the batch, couldn’t make it. The Marketing Department was perfect in attendance: AJ, Claire, Grace, Ernest, and Queeni were present and full of youthful energy.

The Expanding Growth Rocket Family

Growth Rocket had its Newbie Night last August 13 and 14, 2022, at Casa Verde, Pasig City. The venue was ideal for a night of building connections and meeting new people. It had spacious rooms enough to accommodate our team and various amenities to make the most of the night, such as a swimming pool, karaoke, foosball, and billiards table.

The celebration started with a delicious dinner. There were pizza, some viands, and of course–you can’t have a party without every Filipino’s favorite: lumpia! Our full stomachs prepared us for the night ahead.

Many resident employees were present, including Jesel, who came from Bicol, and Issa, who was fresh from Aklan. Stef even brought her pet dog Tommy to join the celebration.

The newbies were then called to commence the games. They were divided into two groups and had to compete head-to-head in three rounds. Everyone, including myself, was eager to win to advance to the next phase. 

After finding out who could move on to the next round, the winning team later decided to split the rewards among themselves equally. Talk about teamwork and camaraderie, right? 

Before capping the night, every newbie was given a small token of appreciation. We each received a certificate with a personalized award, such as CPC Queen for Claire, QA King for Lester, and SemRush Warrior for Chea.

Here are more of the newbies and their certificates.

Stela bagged the Topic Ideation Queen for her contributions during the team’s monthly ideation sessions.

Grace was given the Sisiw Queen award. She is known to sport new hair colors during virtual meetings, like the colorful Filipino chicks or sisiw sold during fiestas.

Mr. Chinito is Jean for his enticing eyes that match his quirky personality.

Monique is Ms. All Around for her various contributions to the SEO team that no one can ever replicate.

As the program ended, everyone shared drinks, stories, and jokes throughout the remainder of the night. Some belted out notes on the karaoke, while others took a dip in the pool.

Cheers to Great Workmates

Work requires building a good relationship with your colleagues to ensure smooth processes and understanding within the team. We’re so grateful to have the chance to meet with our peers and get to know them beyond the Google Meet and Zoom calls. I’m sure we’re all excited for the next get-together for Growth Rocket.

Read more company-related events in the Growth Rocket blog.