In the past few months, a unique project has filled the Papaya office corridors with excitement, creating massive hype. You could say we took employee development to the extreme, literally. This new, unique initiative is called "Papaya Racing". It is hosted by Hagay Farran, Papaya’s Business Development Manager, who is also a professional racing coach in his free time, with 25 years of experience.

‍
The connection between the two worlds was immediate and natural. Whether working at Papaya or being a professional race driver, the requirements are similar: you must create a work plan, execute it without compromise, operate within tight time frames, stand behind your decisions and actions, and know how to measure yourself against competitors.

So, how does this project unfold in practice?

First, we created a simulator room dedicated to the racing workshop at the Papaya offices. We divided the project into six stages; two are already behind us. In all stages, the participants are tested for response time, learning abilities, technique, accuracy, and goal achievement, with the difficulty level increasing accordingly.

As part of the conclusion of the second stage, we held a grand head-to-head tournament at our office with employees who advanced to this stage. During the event, they competed against each other and fought over the last 12 spots while the rest of the employees cheered them on and boosted their energy.

We are currently at the peak of the third phase. In this phase, 12 employees who have achieved the best results move on to 12 weeks of intensive training. At the end of this phase, we will narrow down the group to the final six. These six finalists, the final squad of Papaya’s racing team, will, for the first time, get the opportunity to hit the racetrack and experience driving a real race car. 

What's next: More details will be revealed soon, but we can already say it includes a butter croissant and a plane ticket.