Reunited: The Value of In-Person Connection After Years Apart

We can’t deny the way remote work has evolved over the last several years. Even though Zoom has become the workplace standard, there is such a benefit to taking time to get to know your colleagues in person. An article from Forbes discusses the importance of not stressing the corporate stuff and considering the time away to be an important investment.?

After two years of rapidly growing our U.S. and U.K. teams (myself included!) we finally got the opportunity in July to meet face to face. With that in mind, Octopus Deploy set out with the goal to step away from the work and outside of what we could do from home in order to get to know each other in a less formal setting. Bringing the same energy to these off-sites as we do to our Zoom meetings every day really helped cut those first meeting jitters in no time. We barely even needed ice breakers! ;)?

Our U.S. team explored Chicago (Helloooooo Deep Dish Pizzaaaaa) and our U.K. team took the streets of London with our sole intention of powering down those screens and getting to know each other face to face. Our Chicago trip included plenty of tunes sung at karaoke, game nights, a Cubs game, and a trip to “The Bean”. Our London trip included a night at Book of Mormon and trying out many different restaurants.

Getting to know each other over a casual meal seemed to be something everyone loved throughout the trips. There were several surprises during Two Truths and a Lie and everyone had so much fun guessing who was who with baby photos.

Building Relationships To Be Better Together

The impact of this time together has shown through the conversations we have continued beyond our time away. People have found common ground about all kinds of topics outside of work. We’ve all been able to log onto calls with each other to catch up beyond what is just happening in front of the keyboard. We’ve been able to personify our relationships in a way you just can’t always do over a screen/Zoom call.?

Offsites don’t just help teams build culture, find common ground, and create memories. They also help managers get to know their teams better in a less stressful environment. This can often lead to managers discovering unknown talents their team members have. HR Morning suggests that off-sites and team building help managers with approachability, identify leaders, and provide teams with the energy boost they need.?

For myself, the Chicago trip was a great week filled with laughs and smiles. What better way to mark 6 months at Octopus!? As I finished up my writing I started to wonder how other companies plan their off-sites? Are there any creative ice breakers or hot topics your teams have used to get to know each other better? How have you organized team building in the last 3 years?