No more chaos when the office is full - this is how we organize our team weeks

For many of our employees, everyday life is remote - developers, designers, and project managers work across Germany (and sometimes beyond).

But it's important to us that we also meet in person. After all, we don't want to rely entirely on remote work. That's why we have our beautiful office in Rosenheim!

That's why we have four so-called team weeks a year. These weeks are highlights – they combine team building, training, and fun: workshops where we share our knowledge, after-work activities, talks where everyone can contribute voluntarily, joint lunches, work on annual goals, mandatory training on GDPR and AI, and of course celebrations such as summer parties, visits to Herbstfest, or Christmas parties.

All activities are voluntary.
 

What sounds like a great idea was definitely a bit chaotic at first. Because as soon as 40+ people are in the office at the same time, certain challenges arise:

Where is everyone sitting, and are there enough seats?
Who needs a screen or other hardware?
Which hotels still have rooms available?
And who is holding which workshop and when?

Our team weeks were great - but the organization around them needed to be optimized!

After several rounds, we have learned that after the team week is before the team week! Here are our three most important adjustments that allow us to plan stress-free today:

Early planning

Immediately after a team week, we reflect on what went well and what didn't. These lessons learned are immediately incorporated into the planning for the following week. This keeps everything fresh in our minds and saves us valuable time later on.

Registration forms

It sounds trivial, but it works wonders. A registration form ensures that all relevant information is collected: Who is coming? When? Does anyone need a hotel room, parking space, or special workspace? This allows us to maintain an overview and avoid unpleasant surprises.

Clear Agenda

We establish a weekly structure early on. It includes fixed times for joint sessions, tech talks, and workshops, but also free slots for spontaneous work or exchange. The result: everyone knows what is happening when - and can get involved in a targeted manner.

Today, our team weeks run almost smoothly. No one is desperately searching for a free desk or hotel room, and everyone can concentrate on the content instead of the organization. Above all, the atmosphere is better and the exchange of ideas is more intense.

Remote work only really works well if you regularly make time for face-to-face meetings. Our team weeks are central to this - and with a little planning, they can be implemented in a relaxed manner.