Almudena Conde Gomez
By: Franziska Samanek
Tags: Helping Others, Smile, Life Lessons, Fun, Positivity

Almudena Conde Gomez

What do you like most about your job at the reception?

I love to help others. When I was a child, I was always surrounded by my big family. My parents have a restaurant, so I’m used to adapting to the people around me, and I always try my best to assure that everyone is having a good time. When people here at the office are stressed, they come over to me for a casual chat and this allows them to take a deep breath and disconnect for a few minutes. People open up to me very easily. They tell me when they are having a bad day, and I try to cheer them up. I’m a bit like a psychologist, that’s why I have a second chair next to mine. I would just need the ingredients to prepare some Gin Tonics and you could officially call me a positivity charging station.

What makes you happy at work?

I really like the atmosphere here at the office, everyone is nice and the way we treat each other feels natural. The fact that there is no strict formal dress code to follow makes me feel comfortable. I’m being myself and this contributes to me transmitting good energy to the others. Oh and also, the guys are pretty *laughs*. I can make jokes with the people here, could it be any better?

What makes you smile?

Animals, for example dogs, deer and horses. Also children and the elderly, especially when grandparents bring their grandchildren to school or when an old couple holds hands. Of course my family and my friends … well you know, there are so many beautiful things in life! On every single day, there are at least three moments that make me laugh out loud. And laughing is contagious! I’m the first person people see when they come into the office and I love to “infect” them with positivity. I enjoy being with people and especially when I can learn from their diverse backgrounds and cultures.

How do you help others?

By walking through life with open eyes. There are so many small gestures that can turn a bad day into a good day. A smile, a genuine hug, the words you choose when responding to someone, or the tone of your voice can make a huge difference.

Do you ever have a bad day?

Of course I do! When I have a bad day, you will know. I am very emotional: I can get super excited and start to jump and sing, but when something bad happens to me or to the ones I love, I suffer. I easily trust people and I tell them everything about me, basically because I really don’t know how to hide my emotions. That’s why being with me can sometimes be like riding a roller coaster. But I have one base rule that helps me be happy most of the time: I always try to see the positive side — and there is one to almost every situation. For example, when they decided to change the place of the reception desk from being close to the others to a more isolated location in the office, I first thought it was going to be horrible, but then I started to see the advantages and I even think that I’m better off now.

Your favorite moment at the office?

I love the first Friday of every month because that’s when we all have breakfast together. I wish we could do this every week. I love the Halloween, Christmas and summer parties and the Fruit Wednesdays, basically all those moments when we all stop for a moment, gather and enjoy a moment of being together.

What could be done at the office for people to be happier?

We are all really lucky to work here and I think the first step to be happier is to appreciate what we have. But of course there is always room for improvement. I feel sorry for those that don’t get to travel to Hawaii, because they haven’t reached their sales objectives. Don’t you think that we could have a Hawaiian party here at the office for those that stay here? Working in sales is such a hard job, because they all depend on numbers. When they don’t reach their objectives, it looks like they’ve done a bad job, but that’s not true — there are so many factors that come into play when it comes to selling. My personal KPIs are the times I make people laugh.