by How to build a healthy work environment through mindfulness, pizza, and peers
As one would expect in the current climate of hybrid and remote work, many of our team members work remotely and others even work from remote locations. However, this week we were able to gather (almost) everyone in our Berlin office! Seizing this rare opportunity, we decided to a) live it up and b) do some soul-searching.
Working in a high-growth environment can be stressful. That’s why we started tracking self-reported workloads in our weekly meetings. After realizing that everyone’s workload had shown more than 8/10 for multiple weeks, we knew it was time to talk.
At our team event, our amazing Finance & Admin Manager Teresa Drope used her extensive coaching experience to guide the whole Peers team through a mindfulness session. Part of which included that we opened up to each other, about recognizing stress triggers and resulting behaviors, about ways to manage them, and, perhaps most importantly, we talked about how we could improve our company culture. Not only did this lead to some great insights into our Peers’ minds (how we call each other), but it also helped to clearly identify strategies for interacting with and truly listening to each other.
Our key takeaways:
- Yes, it’s okay to be vulnerable!
- Yes, it’s okay to have both more and less productive days!
- Yes, it’s okay to fail, and you don’t have to beat yourself up about it!
In the end, we all walked away with a new sense of connection, exchanging our favorite relaxation methods (everything from screaming at the wall to meditation apps and ASMR playlists). As an added bonus, there was quite a lot of pizza to be had!
It was great fun to finally have everyone at our office! Thank you all so much for being there – let’s do it again soon.
