Here’s how we’re building the dream team at Dreamdata
Teamwork makes dreamwork…
Or as we like to say, teamwork makes Dreamdata.
From the get-go, Dreamdata has been set up in a way which encourages social interaction between employees on a daily basis.
Multiple teams sit together in an open plan office, the whole company eats lunch together every day, and there are weekly team and company-wide meetings so we can share what we’ve been working on.
But that only really goes so far. To build a real dream team you’ve got to have fun together! That’s why we make it a point to regularly meet up outside of working hours and plan frequent events and activities.
Here’s a short roundup of what we’ve been up to and a little something on why it matters so much to us, by our Office Happiness Manager, Amy Ralston!
Dreamdata’s social activities
Our events are diverse; they range in shape from outdoor sporting events, to restaurant trips, to games nights, to breakfasts, you name it.
What matters most is that these events will be fun, accessible to as many people as possible, and that there is a good diversity of events. The Dreamdata team has a really wide range of interests and so naturally the events that we do reflect this!
A fixture in the Dreamdata social calendar is the yearly Christmas dinner. Last year's New Nordic style dinner was followed by a trip to the beautiful Copenhagen Opera House to see the opera ‘La bohème’, and then out for drinks to round up the evening.
Other recurring events include :
Company breakfasts
On the first Monday of each month, there is a company-wide breakfast in our private lunchroom. This gives us the opportunity to bring in the new week and new month together in a relaxed and fun way before breaking off into teams for the weekly planning meetings.
Video and board games nights
We’ve got an office Nintendo Switch and board games of every colour that cater to both veteran gamers and new beginners alike.
Settlers of Catan is a favourite among the team - games were moved online during the lockdowns where most people were working from home, but now they’re back in person!. These evenings are often accompanied by some pizza or burgers, and a few drinks, giving a relaxed environment to get to know each other.
Friday drinks
At the end of the working week, we can unwind together with a few drinks from our fridge stocked with beers, ciders and alcohol-free alternatives.
At least once a month there is also a larger event for the Dreamdata employees. During the cold winter months, these are primarily indoor events, and include -
Beer Tastings
Catering to the beer lovers of Dreamdata - a beer expert teaches us a little about Danish beers and ciders.
Restaurant trips
Who doesn’t love good food and even better company?
Cultural Exchange evenings
The Dreamdata team already counts 16 different nationalities (and we’re doing our best to grow this!) Each one of us brings our own unique background and ways of seeing the world. This gives us a chance each day to learn from each other and to find fresh perspectives and new ways of dealing with challenges.
To make the most of this diversity, we plan cultural exchange evenings, where we each bring in a few dishes from our home countries, so that we can enjoy potluck style dinners, listen to a variety of music and talk about our cultures.
Virtual Reality games experience
Following a quick stop off for sushi, our Sales team took a trip to a Virtual Reality production studio to try out some games and shoot some zombies!
Coming up!
With the days becoming steadily warmer and the evenings growing longer, we will make the most of the beautiful Danish spring and summer with more outdoor-focused events.
First up in May will be the Nordic Race, where our bravest employees will face 5km of tough obstacles on Amager Strand. Another company run will take place in September with the 5km relay race of DHL (the biggest fitness run in the world). And in between these, there are plans for mountain biking, kayaking, forest walks, and BBQ’s!
After last month’s Sales and Marketing day out, the Engineer team is next up for a team-building day together.
Their day will kick off with burgers, followed by an escape room where they will have to work together as a team to solve the mystery - Sherlock Holmes style. Then to finish off the day, they will head into nature to relax around the bonfire with sausages and the very Danish snobrød.
Why do we do these activities?
Getting to know each other
These social events outside the working environments simply help us to get to know each other on a more personal level.
Socialising gives employees the chance to understand each other's personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and boundaries, and helps build a team through our shared experiences.
This also includes getting to know the management! While in some companies there is a big gap between leadership and the rest of the employees, at Dreamdata every level of the company sits in the same rooms, eats together, and attends the same events.
CEO Lars demonstrating how big his love of grammar is? 😁
Promoting unity
Following on from above - everyone plays a different role in making the company what it is, but we naturally spend more time with certain colleagues than others.
These events allow us to mingle with people who we don’t work directly with every day and learn more about what they do to shape the company.
This has the added benefit of improving collaboration, and can furthermore help to spark creativity as new minds and fresh ideas are brought to the table.
Develop company culture
We all want to work at places where we feel engaged and valued. Culture is shaped by the day to day workings of the company, but it is solidified at company events. The events show the diversity, collaboration, and inclusiveness that Dreamdata aims to be.
Our successes as a company are shared as everyone plays a role in making the company what it is. Recently, the whole company went on a dinner which celebrated the success of our social selling efforts over the past year on Linkedin!
