o you think that programming, project management or testing skills are the only talents our employees have? Nothing could be further from the truth! The autumn team-building trip only confirmed that our team are versatile people - and they confirmed their broad competences, knowledge and skills during team games and... fun on the dance floor!
Integration trips in late autumn have been our tradition for years. The end of the year is a good time to look back on the past and make plans for what lies ahead. It is also an opportunity to meet in a larger group, which in the era of remote working and dispersed teams is not so easy (after all, we have employees from Gdańsk, Białystok, Wrocław and many other cities in Poland). We are all the more pleased that the turnout was great and that it was our most numerous integration trip since the brand was established! The trip was all the more special as we spent it with our colleagues from the Netherlands.
The two-day trip to Bystra - a picturesque village in the Beskid Mountains- allowed us to get away from computer screens and focus on building relationships and getting to know more about the people we work with on a daily basis.
Each team-building trip consists of the usual parts, starting with a presentation by Borys Skraba, CEO of Strix, who summarized 2022 and reminded us of our successes and achievements. This year, Marc-Paul Brandt, CEO of Shopworks - the Dutch company we merged with - also spoke and introduced his team. Although we are all kept up to date with important events during the Weekly, a summary like this puts the past year into perspective. And there was a lot going on!
Presentation is one thing, but Team Building activities are no less an important part of such trips. We started this section with a mini-workshop on the values that guide us in our daily work. But the activity requiring the most creativity and cooperation was a game with an intriguing name... Egg Challenge. Each team had to build a "cage" for an egg to survive a fall from a height. It would seem an easy task. However, underneath such a seemingly simple task, there was a need for cooperation, sharing of ideas, coordination and proper distribution of responsibilities. We tackled the task with flying colours - after all, we use these competences every day at work on projects. Is it harder to implement an e-commerce platform or build protective shell for an egg? Well, answer for yourself ;)
The nail on the head is always the evening 'gala'. There are no Oscars, but it is also... festive! We then dress elegantly, have a festive dinner and listen to one last presentation - this time about plans for the coming year. The most pleasant moment of this autumn evening was the recognition of our employees for special achievements. First of all, we thanked the "five year olds" - i.e. people who have been working with us for five years! For us, this is always a special moment - we are very grateful to all those who put their trust in us and have been with us for a long time. As every year, we also awarded Strixfighters in various categories. As many as 19 employees were presented with statuettes. A big congratulations!
Finally, we were taken into the world of magic! Our special guest presented a few tricks that had us picking our jaws up off the floor! Last but not least - we party till dawn to the rhythm of Polish and world hits. Have exceptional dancing talents been discovered among the Strixers? It will remain our secret :)
Organising such a trip is quite a challenge - especially when the first attack of winter makes it difficult to get to a mountain village. Fortunately, everything worked out, for which the greatest thanks are due to the HR team.
See you on the next team-building trip!
