Office Space

So the SAP office experience in Palo Alto is so much different than in Montreal. For one thing, there are approximately 400 employees in Montreal. On the other hand, there are approximately 2500 employees in PA. Obviously the facilities have to be much different in order to accommodate the difference in numbers.

In Montreal, our office occupies half of one building. In PA, there are eight office buildings on an entire campus. In Montreal, we have a coffee machine and refrigerator that has most kinds of soda. In PA, we have Starbucks coffee, a state-of-the-art coffee machine, and a soda fountain. In Montreal, lunch is catered everyday in a small kitchen and the only choice of food is whatever is on the menu that day. In Palo Alto, there are at least three cafeteria spaces that I know of with a huge salad bar, sandwich bar, burger or specialty sandwich bar, an Asian bar, and two hot meal bars. There is always free fresh fruit and organic yogurt. And if you work late, there's typically free sandwiches and salads available.

I now work for an executive and am thus located with all of the execs and sales people. So I have to wear business casual clothes everyday and have a suit ready at any moment in case a CEO is visiting. In Montreal, I worked with development and could wear jeans, t-shirt and flip flops to work everyday. In Montreal, I never wore make-up and only half of the time fixed my hair. The other half of the time, my hair was most likely dirty and in a ponytail or braid. In PA, I've worn make-up everyday and straightened my hair all days except one.

In PA, there is a fitness center with classes such as zumba, yoga, and pilates. In Montreal, we were lucky if we even received a discount at a local fitness club with a corporate membership.

I'm now in a world where only telepresence meetings are acceptable and phone calls are frowned upon. However, 100 emails a day is OK.

The difference between the SAP world I'm used to in Montreal and my new world in PA feels extreme. I know I'm working for the same company, but it doesn't feel like it. I don't even interact with the same group of people. It's like I have a brand-new job. But like my dad said to me this weekend, many times you need to have a new job in order to understand your worth. Well, I hope that I'm worth a lot.