An Introduction to Fika

Posted by Kathy Drazsnzak · July 09, 2021

All the sock fairies

Ah, the B.C. times. Before Covid, that is! Back when we could all stand right next to each other and no masks were necessary.

The sock fairies are proud to be part of a close-knit team, and we all feel lucky to have been part of experiences like juggling lessons and a spin on the Big SLO Bike. Team-building exercises are part of life here at The Sock Drawer!

sock fairies in front of the Big SLO Bike

And then …

Covid-19.

Like just about every other business out there, the pandemic made 2020 an especially difficult year. Among the many challenges the management team here faced was, "How can we keep the team connected?"

See, BC (Before Covid) we’d all have a weekly get-together at the warehouse, where we’d talk about our work projects, and personal projects if we wanted to as well. Funny stuff, sad stuff. A little bit of everything. It was a chance to connect with co-workers we might not normally get to talk to. We’re a small team but we existed in a 6,000-square-foot warehouse. It could be surprisingly easy to lose touch with people even then!

But now, thanks to Covid, we were scattered. Everyone who was able to work from home promptly did just that. How would we keep that cohesiveness and team spirit alive?

One of our core values here is to stay nimble. Sock fairy Cindy, pictured below wrapping socks at Christmastime, introduced us to an amazing Swedish tradition called fika (pronounced FEE-kah).

In her first-ever fika invite, Cindy told us: “In Sweden, my peeps stop work/play daily for ‘fika,’ or coffee break. There is usually strong black coffee and cardamom rolls called kardamummabullar or cinnamon rolls called kanelbullar. But no matter what, it's a time to stop and chat with friends or co-workers. And a time to have a little snack and drink. I'd love to try a daily fika via Skype!”

Here’s a little more information about fika, from the book Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall:

“Functioning as both a verb and a noun, the concept of fika is simple. It is the moment that you take a break, often with a cup of coffee, but alternatively with tea, and find a baked good to pair with it. You can do it alone, you can do it with friends. You can do it at home, in a park or at work. But the essential thing is that you do it, that you make time to take a break: that’s what fika is all about.”

Sounds easy enough! We began meeting daily via Skype.

We quickly realized that the daily Sock Drawer fika works a lot like our weekly meeting used to, where we tell each other what projects we’re working on and what’s going on in our personal lives, as well as commenting on current events and some funny stories too. It’s a true break and a chance to connect with our fellow sock fairies!

Sock fairy Katie reminded us that when we first started fika, sometimes we would have a pre-determined question, like "What were you like in high school?" or "What’s your favorite movie?" She feels that our daily coffee breaks really allow all to connect in some way. While the common threads seem to happen more randomly these days, fika “allows us to share a memory of our own, while also being able to relate to everyone else who shared a similar experience. It’s a lovely, casual bonding time!”

Sock fairy Jess agrees: “I love the fun random facts or stories that I get to learn about my co-workers, that I probably wouldn't have known otherwise.” As an example, she cites the time when sock queen and founder Brooke, who is a huge Pearl Jam fan, told us about how she drank out of Eddie Vedder's wine bottle!

Several sock fairies mentioned how much they love getting to see or hear their co-workers’ pets. We’ve got dogs, cats, rabbits and even birds among our companion animals, and they’ve been known to make appearances in front of our computer cameras!

But fika is also seriously important for us. “It's the only time I truly have ever gotten to see and interact with the entire team,” said sock fairy Rylee, “and that's super special.” She began working with The Sock Drawer mid-pandemic, when most people were already working from home. “Fika allowed me to still feel like there was time for bonding and getting to know my co-workers in a group setting even though we were all working from different locations. Starting a new job during a pandemic can be really tough but fika added some normalcy to the transition. It’s helped me feel at home with the sock fairies!”

Sock fairy Kathy is on the same page. “I moved halfway across the country during the pandemic, so fika is the only way I get to see the team! It’s also fun to hear about my co-worker’s lives (and not just their work projects). We’re all unique and fun people with lots of different interests.”

We even used fika to help celebrate our recent re-certification as a Great Place to Work!

the whole team celebrating! We're a Great Place to Work!

All the sock fairies agree that fika has been a smashing success, and we look forward to all the coffee breaks and friendly chats to come!

Speaking of ways to keep a team connected, did you know that The Sock Drawer has begun offering corporate gift packages for employees? Partially inspired by our own team’s desire to keep our culture on point during the pandemic, and partially by our years of experience putting together many thousands of fun gift orders shipped all over the globe, we decided to expand this part of our business!

Companies can put together cool gift sets featuring our hundreds of sock patterns, plus our other unique giftables, or any items of your choice. We’ll wrap them up with our special sock fairy magic and ship them to your employees wherever they are, at one location or many. Perfect for onboarding, work-from-home care packages, anniversaries, events and more, our gifts have been beloved by past companies we’ve worked with including Apple and Sophos.

So take it from a team that really does get the value of strong workplace culture, and give yours a boost! Learn more here.

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