Whimsical …Lotus?

Ladies of Actian, Palo Alto get together for a Paint Nite

When I received the offer to join the Actian family as the People Programs Manager back in April, I was elated! Through my interviews, one thing that really stood out to me was the friendly, inviting culture – which would make my new role even more exciting. As with any big change, it is not to say I didn’t have the typical jitters associated with joining a new company: will I fit in, will the role be what I expect, will my ideas be well received, etc.

Within the first few days of joining, I had the pleasure of meeting Helena Marsikova. She informed me that she, along with a few others, had organized a Paint Nite for the ladies at the Palo Alto office. I was told it was not an ‘official’ company event, but they wanted to get some time to connect outside of work to get to know one another and invited me to join in on the fun. I am so thrilled that she did!

Last Thursday, a group of about a dozen, met up after work in Downtown San Jose for dinner, drinks, painting of a ‘Whimsical Lotus’, and laughs – LOTS OF THEM (based on the outcome of our paintings, you can likely guess why)!

When we got settled in front of our canvases, the instructor jumped in with an overview. He threw in witty banter and set the tone for the evening. We chatted amongst ourselves and joked about our future careers as artists we had as the progress of many of our paintings were a surprising outcome to say the least. After a couple hours of painting, we gathered to see the masterpieces we had all created – it was a blast!

Coming in to help build upon the culture here through employee programs, it was so wonderful to see that we already have such an engaged workforce – both personally and professionally. We all got to know each other a bit better and many were able to build upon the existing relationships they have had built throughout there time here.

I look forward to continuing to build connections, partner, and grow alongside such an amazing, talented, passionate group of women!

About Rae Coffman-Bueb

Rae is the Director, Employee Experience at Actian, focusing on bringing the employee experience to the next level. She is committed to developing strategic programs that help employees feel more empowered in their roles. Rae has a background in People Operations, focused on up leveling and implementing best practice and process adoption across global organizations.