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In April, our 20-person remote team @podia was scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C. for our annual retreat.
Obviously, we had to cancel.
But we didnât want to give up on having a retreat altogether.
Hereâs what we did instead
Obviously, we had to cancel.
But we didnât want to give up on having a retreat altogether.
Hereâs what we did instead
The 2 key retreat benefits we wanted to recreate were
1. The lightning-in-a-bottle effect from getting smart people in a room brainstorming big picture ideas
2. Connections built between people who work all over the
and otherwise only see each other on Slack and Zoom 
1. The lightning-in-a-bottle effect from getting smart people in a room brainstorming big picture ideas
2. Connections built between people who work all over the
and otherwise only see each other on Slack and Zoom
We planned a virtual âretreat weekâ with 6 events spread over five days:
Unlike our in-person retreats, we opted against filling every day with programming, as Zoom fatigue is very real, and very unpleasant 
We kicked off with a planning session, in which @spencerfry and I shared what we expect the next five years at Podia to look like 
This was really helpful in getting people thinking about our mission, and would help with the team breakout work we would do later in the week.
This was really helpful in getting people thinking about our mission, and would help with the team breakout work we would do later in the week.
After our planning session, everyone filled out a survey asking:
- What excited them
- What ideas we should work on
- What concerned them
- What we can do to ensure they remain happy
It was an amazing way to understand what the team was feeling, so we could address it.
- What excited them
- What ideas we should work on
- What concerned them
- What we can do to ensure they remain happy
It was an amazing way to understand what the team was feeling, so we could address it.
(Cutaway to the Monday after the retreat)
@spencerfry compiled the feedback from that survey.
On our team call, we addressed every point of concern, and what we would do about it.
It made me wish we talked about these kinds of things outside of our retreats. And now we will.
@spencerfry compiled the feedback from that survey.
On our team call, we addressed every point of concern, and what we would do about it.
It made me wish we talked about these kinds of things outside of our retreats. And now we will.
(Cut back to Monday of retreat week)
That afternoon, we had a Zoom happy hour.
A 20-person Zoom free-for-all is
, so we broke people up into groups of 6-7 teammates they donât normally work with.
We played @jackboxgames Quiplash, and it was awesome: https://www.jackboxgames.com/quiplash/
That afternoon, we had a Zoom happy hour.
A 20-person Zoom free-for-all is
, so we broke people up into groups of 6-7 teammates they donât normally work with.We played @jackboxgames Quiplash, and it was awesome: https://www.jackboxgames.com/quiplash/
The next day, we didnât have anything planned, but we were able to sneak in a little surprise from our team.
Thanks to @bookcameo and Lesley David Baker (Stanley from @theofficeNBC, we had ourselves a keynote speaker for $300
Thanks to @bookcameo and Lesley David Baker (Stanley from @theofficeNBC, we had ourselves a keynote speaker for $300
The team loved it.
The next day, we got back to work 
Each team leader was tasked with running a breakout session with their team. We all did different things.
Development: Fixing our spacecraft at warp speed
Marketing: Marketing team world domination brainstorm
Support: Starring roles
Each team leader was tasked with running a breakout session with their team. We all did different things.
Development: Fixing our spacecraft at warp speed
Marketing: Marketing team world domination brainstorm
Support: Starring roles
We had another Zoom hangout scheduled for that afternoon, but we hadnât told anybody what we were doing yet.
In the morning, we announced the plan â and everyoneâs homework â for our GIFparty
In the morning, we announced the plan â and everyoneâs homework â for our GIFparty
Aside from Stanleyâs keynote, this was â by far â the event that got the most positive feedback.
We laughed, we cried, and we learned a lot about our teammates.
We laughed, we cried, and we learned a lot about our teammates.
Okay, so nobody actually cried.
I think?
I think?
On Friday, one more game session.
This one with new groups, and a new game.
Survive the Internet (another one from @jackboxgames) https://www.jackboxgames.com/survive-the-internet/
The team was split about 50/50 on which game they preferred.
This one with new groups, and a new game.
Survive the Internet (another one from @jackboxgames) https://www.jackboxgames.com/survive-the-internet/
The team was split about 50/50 on which game they preferred.
And finally, family dinner 
We gave everyone up to $100 to buy dinner for themselves and their family, and support a local restaurant.
All they had to do was post a photo to Slack so we could all enjoy it together.
We gave everyone up to $100 to buy dinner for themselves and their family, and support a local restaurant.
All they had to do was post a photo to Slack so we could all enjoy it together.
This turned out to be the most memorable part of the retreat for me.It was really special to see all of my teammates outside of their âworkâ environment, in their homes, eating with their families.
In many ways, it was even more intimate than eating together in person.
Ultimately, the most important part of the retreat is that itâs literally a retreat from your day-to-day work.
As @wadefoster from @zapier says:
âIt can be easy to default to doing the things you always do...but that would be a waste of an opportunity.â https://zapier.com/learn/remote-work/how-run-company-retreat-remote-team/
As @wadefoster from @zapier says:
âIt can be easy to default to doing the things you always do...but that would be a waste of an opportunity.â https://zapier.com/learn/remote-work/how-run-company-retreat-remote-team/
The same holds true for virtual retreats.
You donât have to follow our template (though youâre welcome to).
But whatever you do, give people a break and let them step back, reflect, and connect with one another.
Itâs worth every minute of downtime.
You donât have to follow our template (though youâre welcome to).
But whatever you do, give people a break and let them step back, reflect, and connect with one another.
Itâs worth every minute of downtime.
Was it the same as a regular retreat?
Absolutely not.
Thereâs simply no substitute for those.
But it was the next best thing, and weâre extremely happy we did it.
Happy to answer any questions.
Absolutely not.
Thereâs simply no substitute for those.
But it was the next best thing, and weâre extremely happy we did it.
Happy to answer any questions.
