The Rise of the Office Offsite 🏢 🏝
Employers are rethinking team bonding and collaboration
In a recent interview, tech thought leader Marc Andreessen shared that his venture capital firm has transformed from office-centric to offsite-centric. Andreessen observed that during the pandemic, knowledge-workers and their employers realized that the old mindset that everyone has to be in a co-officed setting was a fallacy. In fact, companies were able to remain just as productive during the pandemic and employee satisfaction increased because of the flexibility of working from anywhere.
Andreessen believes this bodes well not just for employees and employers, but our communities at large. Where in the past a young person who wanted to work in the tech industry had to relocate to Silicon Valley, now there are tech centers cropping up all across the country and world and more companies are hiring remotely. It means greater opportunity for people to stay close to family or regions they love while not missing the chance to have a successful career.
But what about company culture and collaboration? Instead of calling everyone into the office for meetings, Andreessen’s company now takes staff to offsite locations like tropical resorts or mountain retreats. They can bring family with them to a nice vacation location, and spend time getting to know colleagues in a relaxed environment.
Andreessen shared that they have reallocated budgets typically spent on real estate to hosting these offsites for their teams. He said the results have been truly beneficial to his company. Employees enjoy greater flexibility in where they live and work, and they love the offsite locations and bonding with peers. They host these offsites every few months, so just when team members may start to feel a little isolated, they are back in-person with colleagues in a fun environment and get to reconnect.
I love this model not just because it’s the future of flexible work, but because I’ve actually experienced it. Since 2012 I’ve worked at a nonprofit that is primarily remote. Frequent team offsites in lovely settings foster connection throughout the year.
Some of my fondest memories are the experiences outside of our meeting time, when I got to go hiking with coworkers, or enjoy a margarita with them while sitting on an ocean-view patio. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and I think in a remote setting, the sweet spot for planning remote gatherings is, as Andreessen noted, when colleagues may start to feel isolated.
I’ve personally observed that being away from colleagues for too long, you start to lose the sense of their personality, which can lead to a loss of assuming goodwill. So it is important to spend downtime with coworkers in a way where you truly get to know and appreciate them as peers and potentially friends.
I firmly believe this model is the future of work. Companies will shift away from buying and owning buildings, to finding exotic locations for their team to have offsites. For investors looking for the next big thing, look at resorts and hotels that cater to this business crowd; they will reap the benefits. There are entire industries cropping up as a result of this trend.
If you’re a conscious leader looking to build a strong remote team, consider reallocating budgets typically spent on office space and look for fun offsite locations. Consider hosting an offsite once a quarter. Be open to seeing how you and your team can recreate the way you work together. And make some fun memories with your colleagues in the process. You can build a healthy culture that puts employee wellbeing at the forefront of your company’s overall success.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
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The way we work and build teams is rapidly changing. Leaders often feel unprepared to navigate the transition. As a conscious leadership coach, consultant and communicator, Meredith helps leaders and their teams create new ways of working and relating so they can prepare for the future by consciously co-creating it.
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