Ciba-Geigy staff canteen

 Our canteen was one of the places where Ciba-Geigy staff enjoyed themselves the most.

The food was catered by Dairy Farm Catering, and the prices were exceptionally cheap because the company subsidized the meals. For the staff, it was a very welcome benefit.

But the canteen was more than a place to have lunch.

It was also a place where colleagues met, talked, laughed, and took a break from their daily work. People from different departments could sit together and chat. Sometimes the conversations were about work, but quite often they were simply about everyday life.

The canteen was also used for special gatherings and seminars. It became one of the places where we could bring staff together for company activities and learning.

From time to time, however, our seminars were held outside the office.

I remember some seminars being held in Discovery Bay on Lantau Island. On other occasions, we had seminars at a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.

These occasions gave us a change of environment. We could step away from our normal office routines, concentrate on the seminar, and also spend time together as colleagues.

Looking back, I realize that the workplace was not only about offices, meetings and getting the job done.

There were the lunches, the conversations, the jokes, the seminars, and the gatherings.

These simple things helped create the sense of belonging that I remember so fondly from my Ciba-Geigy days.