I Killed on My First Day at Freshworks

The quirky headline isn’t clickbait. The title is entirely true in its essentials.

It isn’t the complete story, but certainly is the beginning of my Freshworks journey.

There was indeed a village under threat on my first day at Freshworks. I can’t think of an ice-breaker that is as efficient as this seemingly innocuous game called ‘Mafia’, which I otherwise fondly call the-game-that-causes-hyperventilation/acidity.

As far as ice-breakers go, this cracked across the surface with a blast. A group of 12 people debated for over an hour about the plight of a village, wondering whom to save, who was who, and waking up to mysterious deaths.

Going into the details of the game is for another post altogether, but for now let me say that it was the best way to get a group of tongue-tied yet eager strangers to open up!

We still didn’t know each other’s names but we were debating tooth and nail to stay alive in the game. That stimulated no-holds-barred interactions.

With a game like mafia, survival instincts and the natural competitive streak kicks in and you cannot help but engage.

Well played, Freshworks HR team. Their first move was unexpected, refreshing, fun — and served its purpose.

You cannot go through a game of mafia without forming an unspoken bond with the players (including the skilled, poker-faced moderator); and the first, scary step into a new world became a lot more communal.

There’s no discounting the nervousness anyone would feel on their first day in a leading, flourishing organization. Irrespective of previous professional experiences or general life experiences; it’s always scary.

But with Freshworks, the warmth and the natural camaraderie displayed by the HR team and the other facilitators put us at ease, helping loosen our tense shoulders.

Even the rote processes of filling forms and other standard procedures were addressed affably, without the slightest hint of boredom. In a nutshell, it was evident that everyone loved their jobs and that’s always a good sign for beginners on Day 1, wouldn’t you think?

In the sessions that followed, we learnt about the organization in fluid interactions complemented by friendly Powerpoint slides. I say friendly because when handled by cheery facilitators, they breathed. Some even told me to have a nice day!
The slides were used appropriately as aids and the main focus was on keeping the sessions balanced between interactive and informative.

We were quickly taken through all the products of Freshworks. We learnt about their functionalities, how they came to be, why they came to be and other information to understand the products and why we do what we do.

The culture at Freshworks which is all-encompassing, accepting, transparent, and many other flattering adjectives, stood out for one prime reason amongst other shining traits.
It was real.

Not lofty, unattainable or pretentious. Nor did they leave anything unexplored and unexplained.
‘Nobody is greater than the game’, is a much loved adage that I grew up embodying; and here at Freshworks, nobody is greater than the organization.

That is evident in the excitement, the enthusiasm, the camaraderie and the all-hands-on-deck principle working towards a common goal.

A week of Onboarding later, I am here, today — sitting at my own desk, surrounded by a wonderfully welcoming, helpful team; writing my first blog as Content Editor for Corporate Marketing at Freshworks.

As far as new beginnings go, I don’t think they get better or fresher (I couldn’t resist) than this. :)