Every 12 months or so, the whole company gathers at the Human Made company retreat. Previous locations have included the UK, Norway, Bulgaria, Spain, Slovakia, Italy, Sri Lanka and Greece.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE COMPANY RETREAT
The company retreat is an opportunity for everyone to get together and get some much needed time together. Some of the things that you can expect at the retreat are:
- Flash talks: every human gives a 3 minute flash talk. This is usually something unrelated to work and can be about anything you want, see the recordings from 2022 for inspiration.
- Hack projects: we work on projects together throughout the week.
- State of the Humans: Tom, Joe and Noel present on where the company is and where it’s going.
- Outings: we will arrange an excursion(s) so you can see some of the local area.
- On-site activities: in 2022 we offered wine tasting, Greek lessons and cooking demonstrations.
- Sports tournaments: in 2022, this included table tennis and football.
- Quiz night
In between, there is plenty of unstructured time so you have time to hang out with each other and get to know one another better.
RETREAT PLANNING
You can follow along in #retreat-planning in Slack and on the /retreat repo in GitHub. If you have any questions, please message the people team in the #retreat channel.
FAQs
If the retreat is held before or after a conference, do I have to attend that conference?
Nope. Attendance at any conference is not obligatory. You can just attend the retreat.
Are partners/children invited to the retreat?
As this is a retreat focused on work, it is for Human Made staff only. We would love to be able to welcome all of your families, but things would get expensive and we would lose the focus on work. The only exception is breastfeeding mothers, who are able to bring their baby so they can continue breastfeeding.
What should I bring?
Clothes, swimwear, toiletries, travel documents, and any other travel necessities. Your work laptop and anything essential for setting up your workstation. See also this packing list post from the 2022 retreat (we’ll always post a packing list prior to departure).
Will I have to share a room?
At some retreats, room sharing helps us to keep costs down but is not mandatory or expected. You will be asked if you are willing to share a room before we go ahead with any bookings. At the 2019 retreat in Sri Lanka and 2022 retreat in Greece, room sharing was not required.
If I need a visa to travel, can I expense costs related to acquiring it?
Yes you can.
Is transport from the airport to the retreat venue/hotel arranged by the company or do I need to arrange?
Assuming you are arriving (and departing) on the standard retreat dates, the retreat organisers organise airport transfers and share details a week or so before the retreat.
Can we review photos of us before they are posted on social media?
I’m afraid the team coordinating do not have capacity for this because waiting for a replacement photo to be reviewed would delay a post too much. There is an opportunity in the pre-retreat survey to opt out of being in any photos that get shared.
I am anxious about xxx.
You won’t be alone, don’t worry. You can always retreat to your room at any time to recharge. Please let a first aider, your retreat buddy or manager know if you’re feeling panicked/overwhelmed at any point.
Is the commitment to the xxx excursion binding?
Pretty much yes, we are booking tour guides and transport based on numbers from survey. Obviously if someone is too unwell to go on the day that’s OK but please don’t back out at the last minute. If you don’t want to go anymore, speak up sooner rather than later.
How can I fit the schedule around prayer times?
If you need to excuse yourself from any session/activity for prayer or any similar reason, that’s absolutely fine, don’t feel pressured to announce it to the whole room, just rejoin when you’re able.