In a fast pace environment, working with cutting edge technology, named partners and the smartest group of individuals around, what do you think would be a highly sought out perk? Setting aside the fully stocked kitchen, daily catered lunches, unlimited PTO, monthly socials, and 401k matching, SADAians look forward to taking a 5 minute break once a week for none other than our weekly TEA CART!
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So, what is ‘Tea Cart Tuesday’?
It all started last year when an employee emailed People Operations an article about Airbnb providing their employees with a bar cart. We thought this was a great idea for SADA to try, so we purchased a cart and stocked it with top-shelf whiskey. We planned to reveal it at our Annual All-Hands – a week long company wide event where all employees (remote and HQ) come together to learn about the state of the company/future goals and participate in team building activities. The bar cart was a hit, but we soon came to the realization that having a drink in the middle of the day, while enjoyable, was pretty tiring for employees. That’s when we were approached by another one of our employees – a tea connoisseur – about transforming our bar cart into a tea cart! The next day we stocked our cart with assorted teas and cookies and it became a HUGE hit!
The Tea Cart was an immediate success and our employees were requesting its return after All Hands – so we turned it into a weekly ritual. SADA’s Culture Club took over the role of hand-selecting cookies and tea’s, and each Tuesday, our tea cart circulates both floors of our beautiful North Hollywood headquarters office.
Do the Right Thing
Every ‘Tea Cart Tuesday’ faces light up as the cart makes its rounds through each department. Employees look forward to what flavors of tea they can pick from each week and take a quick break to connect with one another. In traditional SADA style, we realized that we can utilize the success of tea cart and use its popularity to give back to the local community, turning the tea cart into a new outlet for fundraising. We plan on having employees volunteer to bake cookies and come Tuesday, we’ll sell them through tea cart. By doing this, we are able to raise funds – as a collective – to support organizations like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA).
As a new employee, I didn’t understand why ‘Tea Cart Tuesday’ was such a big deal until I experienced it. It may have started off as a small perk for our employees, but has become something much, much more. It has evolved into an outlet for employees to come together for a few minutes, take a break, and participate in giving back, but most importantly, it has become a part of our culture.
