It’s definitely not a standard morning. The alarm is waking me up several hours earlier than normal, but still, don’t feel the tiredness. My bag is ready waiting and off I go. Couple train rides later I find myself with my a-bit-not-yet-awaken-either colleagues in the transfer hall in Helsinki-Vantaa airport ready to start our yearly company weekend trip – this year to Krakow, Poland! A refreshing coffee cup to go and ahoy we go.
Krakow is a beautiful city in the middle of beautiful Europe. At the location we have a whole hotel reserved for us and a full day booked for some development workshops - started with very inspirational presentations about Sievo’s strategy and plans for the future by Matti, JP and Sammeli from our top management.
Future strategy aligned with the over hundred Sievonians in their hoodies gathered in a grand conference room to continue the success. Seniors, new joiners – all of us different but together working for mutual goals. In a new location, you can totally re-shuffle your thoughts left and right, and maybe even have some new ideas ( and jokes) while doing it.
After some (almost) serious development we continued to a classy restaurant to celebrate our Sievo journey so far and have the opportunity to spend the long weekend together. It’s not every day we get to spend longer period face-to-face with our outstanding US team, so the evening feels very special again. Discussions switch from work issues to joking about team members letting loose. The later the evening, the less there are people anymore just sitting still, but going around talking, laughing, dancing.
Spending one weekend abroad in a year is not excessive, but still so important for many of us. It is the time when you see your colleagues you don’t always have the opportunity to meet. Getting away from home base gets everyone off their office/home mode and enables us all to make this joint happening a memorable event, which we can afterwards look back with a warmth and a smile. Events like this one make us even more of a united team with the ability to do serious work with a relaxed attitude – together.
Thanks to every Sievonian joining the Krakow trip and also to you guys who this year couldn’t make it. There will be new trips. New times together.
Hopefully, I speak for everyone when I say it’s you guys who make it fun to come to work every day – continue to do what you do so well – being you. :*