Our internal survey, "VSG Workforce View Survey 2023", ended a few days ago and confirmed the importance of this value for our teams. The highest ratings and most liked by the people in the company were the "friendly atmosphere in the teams", "the cooperation and help between colleagues" and "team buildings, entertainment, parties". All these aspects are interrelated, and I will talk more about what we do at VSG to achieve these results.
TEAM BUILDING
We recently organized our summer team building, which challenged our colleagues to join the "AI (Artificial Intelligence) Challange Accepted Game". It was an innovative game that entertained us and provided real opportunities for application in our work. The goal of the game was to produce ideas for using artificial intelligence, which has a real application in our work. The teams that took part generated creative ideas and solutions and demonstrated in practice how they can use artificial intelligence and new techniques to solve everyday problems.
We divided our teams randomly, which opened doors to new opportunities and interesting collaborations. The randomized separation of teams helped us get out of our comfort zones, stimulated diversity in interaction and opened opportunities for innovative ideas and approaches. We faced the challenge of adapting to different teams and work styles, which encouraged us to be flexible and adapt to different conditions.
Every year we organize at least two big team buildings for three days, full of games and entertainment. We have a lot of experiences together, but I remember one that people said they would remember for a long time.
2 years ago, we organized our summer team building in Golden Sands and one of the games we had planned to include was walking with flippers on the sand and pouring water with buckets from the sea. The night before was pretty long, and the game was scheduled for 10 a.m. Before the start of the game, the teams measured the flippers and decided that they would not use them because they were small. It was over 30 degrees outside, the sun was shining hard, everyone threw their flippers and started running on the sand. At the end of the game there were several people with muscle soreness and out of breath. None of us expected such a turn of events, but we will remember it for a long time.
The best part is that everyone takes part in the games and has real fun. We try not to repeat ourselves and to diversify the activities of the events we do.
FUN FRIDAY AND PARTIES
Every last Friday of the month we organize a treat with different topics in the office. We had an ice cream day, cocktails, barbecues, pizza, delicious baked goods, and other temptations.
This year we celebrated Children's Day with our colleagues and children. We included a horse ride, animators, children's menus, rope park and many other entertainments. The children got to know each other and made new friends.
We do not forget the fun on a team level. Each team has its own budget for parties and mini-team buildings, and they decide how to use it according to the preferences and interests of the team. These entertainments have many benefits - they create stronger connections and a shared sense of belonging, support the creative process and inspiration of the team.
Christmas parties are important to us, so we strive to prepare something special for the holidays. At our last Christmas parties, we had everything from traditional to team building games, each of which brought emotion and excitement to the participants, performances with dance formations, DJs, competitions with cars made of cardboard, surprises, and prizes. All this has made a special contribution to the magic of the Christmas spirit.
VSG ANNIVERSARY
Every year we celebrate the anniversary of the VSG properly. For our 10th anniversary, we decided to do something spectacular. We celebrated three whole days filled with various initiatives, games and parties that made this anniversary unforgettable.
The first day we had an organized game for "Treasure Hunt", held in the center of Plovdiv. After the previous team building event in Golden Sands, I promised that this time we will do something lighter and without so much physical exertion, but to our surprise, the mysteries were distributed throughout the center of Plovdiv. That is how we started our adventure – touring, climbing hills in the old town and searching for treasures for 4 hours. In the end, we went over 20 km (about twice the height of Mount Everest) before returning to the office for the announcement of the winners. In fact, the game was interesting, only walking was a little more.
On the second day we organized a children's football tournament with over 10 football teams, with children aged 7-8 years. We decided to please the younger ones, who have not yet had so many opportunities to participate in championships and tournaments. The children were incredibly happy, we awarded the first 3 teams and the rest received gifts.
The last day was the party. We had dinner in a stylish atmosphere and enjoyed a dance program that contributed to the good mood, dancing, and fun. The fireworks display and the festive cake were a wonderful end to the evening.
Companies that recognize the importance of entertainment and integrate it into their practices can achieve better results, a higher level of satisfaction among employees and create a more dynamic and inspiring work environment. Entertainment increases efficiency and strengthens relationships between people, improving communication and collaboration. In the end, "Have Fun" proved to be the key to achieving success and creating a sustainable and attractive organizational culture with us at VSG.
Author: Mariyana Bronyar, HR (Human Resources) Manager at VSG
Article:https://dev.bg/digest/vsg-bulgaria-have-fun-dc03/
