Spring Break & Spring Forward

I hope you did not find yourself hiding your alarm clock this morning when it went off an hour earlier than expected due to the annual Spring forward on the clock that occurred Saturday night at midnight.  Personally, my internal clock has yet to adjust but I am excited we are in the month of March!  March is by far one of my favorite months because it marks the beginning of Spring, March Madness, St. Patrick's Day, wildflower season and the coveted tradition of Spring Break for many college students. 

At Protiviti we are not necessarily granted a "Spring Break"; however, our employees do start out with 20 days of choice time off that continues to increase with years of experience.  Many of our employees have found themselves celebrating the tradition of having an annual Spring Break, which I was reminded of when I walked the floor this morning and noticed many offices were vacant.

I wish all of you a happy Spring, no matter what you are doing with your time and even if your team did not make it to the tournament this year. Just remember to be safe; however, you choose to celebrate the beginning of Spring!

-Casey Jo

What's On Your Desk?

Chicago Consultant, Caroline

1.)  You never know if your client will reach you by your office phone or cell; so having your charger ready is crucial!

2.)  Winters in the North can be brutal, so a thick jacket and scarf are necessities for your commute each morning.

3.)  Daily caffeine supply... enough said.

4.)  Writing in a notepad may sound ancient, but when you're going over your project with a manager, you will not always have your laptop with you.

5.)  This is no-no.  Protiviti offices across the nation are finding more ways to be eco-friendly, such as providing mugs in order to minimize waste.


Thanks Caroline for letting us STUDY your work space!
-Casey Jo

Lending A Hand To End Childhood Hunger

Last night at our town hall meeting in Houston, we held a donation drive to help Kids Meals.  Kids Meals is a local non-profit organization that delivers meals to 1,400 pre-school aged children, living in poverty and are in need of food. The meals are delivered to the homes of the children during the week and are free of cost to the families. The social and community service teams in the office joined forces to collect donations in the three major categories Kid Meals needs to continue to carry out their mission of ending hunger among children.

 Houston had three stations for food, supplies and monetary donations.  The competitive spirit in the staff left many people attempting to bring in the highest quantity in donations. In addition to helping out the community, if individuals participated they were given a raffle ticket to have an opportunity to win a prize from the giveaway table!

Every little bit helps!
-Casey Jo

Superbowl Spirit

With only 6 days until kick-off for Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, I figured I would share a photo and a report from our Protiviti flag football team.  While our team does not have a Tom Brady or Eli Manning at the quarterback slot, we do have our own technology offensive specialist Ray.  Randy, might not be our Wes Welker; however, he did have time to provide me with a play-by-play of the second night of victorious play...

Left to Right:  Consultants, Justin and Mike; Senior Consultants, Matt, Ryan, Ray and Luis; Consultant, Randy; Associate Director, Evan and Consultant, Nick

After a win less first week of play, the Protiviti Football Team entered week two determined to win, and they did just that.

Game 1 against Back That Pass Up was an uphill battle as Back That Pass Up took an early 14-0 lead. Speedster Quarterback Ray was able to get Protiviti back in the game with his legs and arm, rushing for several long gains and throwing a couple of touchdown passes to Matt, Luis, and Randy. Mike, quickly learned how to run like a robot to avoid penalties, and Nick “The Bulldozer” also had some critical catches and defensive stops during the game. New comer, Justin had a couple of penalties, but quickly learned from his mistakes and went on to make some critical defensive stops and offensive blocks in the second half. Randy, put away the game with a crucial interception in overtime to give the Protivitites their first ever victory!

With a win under their belts, the Protiviti squad went on to face America’s Team. With a devastating loss to America's Team in Week 1, Protiviti felt they had something to prove. Early on in the game, team veteran and Associate Director, Evan was able to fly through the offensive line with swan-like moves to not only sack the quarterback, which led to end his participation in the game and any chance of victory for America’s Team. Protiviti quickly took advantage of the injured all-star and jumped to an early 14-0 lead. Again, Ray’s speed was too much for them to handle. Old age began to set in on Matt and Luis as they both pulled muscles, but that wasn’t enough to stop the Touchdown Tandem. The best play of the night came towards the end with Ryan, playing lock down defense, caught his first interception of the season, topping off Protiviti’s second victory of the night.

We did have a few key players miss the victorious night; however, judging by week 1, Franklin will remain an important part of the rush attack and Brad will continue to play his role as defensive specialist. Vijan has proven himself as the “emotional leader” for the team and will surely speak up on our behalf when he feels the refs are not being fair.

Congratulations to an awesome start, let’s keep it going for the rest of the season inorder to make the Flag Football Super Bowl!

-Casey Jo

Houston Marathon Recap

This past weekend the 40th annual Houston Marathon was held throughout the streets of the city and Protiviti was there to cheer on more than 28,000 runners participating in either a 5K, half marathon or full marathon. For the first time ever, the USA Track & Field and the Houston Marathon Committee hosted the men’s and women’s Olympic Trials Marathon on the same day, at the same site. The historic event determine the three men and three women who will represent the United States in the marathon at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Protiviti's marathon watching post was stationed between mile 24 and 25 which is where it is said the average runner needs a little bit of extra pep to make it to the finish line. Our post happen to be right outside of one of our local clients headquarters.


Three Important Things in Life: Country, Company and Client

Protiviti did have a favorite runner this year, our very own Senior Manager, Holly participated in the Houston Half Marathon. Holly cleared the finish line after only an hour and forty-four minutes had elapsed which allowed her plenty of time to return to the tailgate to watch the Marathon winners pass who finished 26.2 miles in under two hours and ten minutes.
 

The Houston Office Spectators, including Holly (seated, 4th from the right)



Associate Director, Evan and Manager, Daniel are shown here offering donuts to participants.

Way to go Holly and all who participated!!!

-Casey Jo