Day 1 : The tone is set

Welcomed by a dynamic and dedicated team, armed by pain au chocolat and croissants, the tone is set! A familiar feeling, absent of stress, I find myself overwhelmed by the warmth of a fun-sized agency where the term rut does not exist in the work-dictionary.

I catch sight of two familiar faces, Céline and Thibaut. After years, our paths cross again, what are the odds!

Being the “Funky buddy” that she is, Céline spills the deets on several food hot spots in the area. But that’s not all! Thanks to her, I’m in on the best Slack channels where there’s talk of movies, TV shows, music, and all sorts of other cool discoveries. (plus, other little gems that we only share with insiders 🤫).

My desk is all set and already scattered with little notes on little EPIC references that I’m sure I’ll understand later on. Let the onboarding begin!

Day 15 : go Spartan or go home

An already full agenda and onboarding by the book…

Together with Léa, another newly arrived member at EPIC, we’re lucky enough to get an overview with the lead of each department. What better moment is there to learn a ton of new things and to ask a ton of questions. Enthusiasm bubbling over, we absolutely can’t wait to make our own contribution.

Getting down to business, we discover the tools and processes made in EPIC. When in doubt, we pull out the EPIC bible (editor’s note: Notion): whether it is methodology, invoicing or building access codes, it’s got it all!

The cherry on top of this second week is the (now) famous meeting “An EPIC History”. Here we discover the birth story of the agency, its failures, and its glories. Nearly two hours of introspection that are as inspiring as they are exhilarating. The awards hanging on office walls and on shelves here and there now hold no secrets for us!

Day 30 : The big jump

One month after my arrival, it’s time for the annual team building event! Three intense, fun-filled days of fair play and good-natured sport. Well, almost… Most of us are great competitors and will do anything to win the gold medal at the Olepics.

Buckle up! We’re doing raft building, beer crate climbing, culinary competitions, puzzle races, Maïté imitations… there’s something for everyone.

I’ll spare you the details, but I will let you in on this: who hasn’t dreamed of seeing their CEO curtsy in a canary yellow tutu?

Day 70 : Rome wasn’t built in a day

Little by little, the bird builds its nest! I’m slowly but surely making progress in the agency (and literally… if you see me at the office, don’t be surprised to find me buried under a mountain of plaids as I’ve joined the shivery team).

The good thing about change is that it allows you to question yourself and try to improve, but I’m still “Little Miss: Forgot to do my timesheet” (self-proclaimed of course).

Another interesting fact is that one man’s problem is another man’s problem… The matter of team planning will always be the bane of every agency’s existence… Do you have the miracle solution? pleasehelpus@epic.net

Day 100 : Three months later

It’s already been more than three months since my arrival, and it’s time to go over the list.

• Onboarding ☑️
• Integration into the team ☑️
• Getting to grips with the tools ☑️
• EPIC approach and agency know-how ☑️
• Start-up of first projects ☑️
• Understanding Kubernetes… not quite there yet, but we’re not admitting defeat!

These three months have flown by at breakneck speed, and I reflect on them with a strange feeling: everything seems new, yet familiar at the same time. Some days come with a challenge; others encourage confidence.

There’s still a long way to go before I feel like a Spartan, but I think EPIC fills that professional balance-shaped hole in my heart. 

See you in 1,000 days!