In mid-November, a part of the PHOENIX MEDIA team went on a very special journey. The destination: the largest of the Canary Islands Gran Canaria. For a week, the goal was to combine work and leisure time, to bring the team even closer together and to have a professional exchange within workshops while gaining exciting insights into each other's work areas. In the following blog post we look back together on many beautiful moments.
After arriving on Saturday morning, the first thing to do was to move into our accommodation in Agüimes, located about 40 kilometers away from the capital Las Palmas. The spacious apartment with a beautiful garden offered plenty of space, attractive workplaces and cozy corners to linger. The perfect place for a "workation", the combination of work and vacation.
During the welcome breakfast, trips for the weekend and after work activities were planned. After the fridge was filled for the coming week, Agüimes was explored on a walk and then the tapas menu was tried out in a restaurant next door. The first big joint team excursion to the dunes of Maspalomas followed on Sunday.
“For me, the week in Gran Canaria was very exciting, intense and fun. In addition to our regular work, we used the time for daily workshops in which everyone could contribute - I really liked this open communication and creative opportunity. My highlight was getting to know my colleagues better – the joint meetings and after-work excursions brought us even closer together!” (Renate Strempfl, Project Manager)
One-of-a-kind Workation
Well recovered from the weekend, the working week on the island started on Monday. The workation rhythm was quickly established: internal meetings were preferred in the mornings, e-mails and telephone calls were answered and customer appointments were held on the sunny terrace. Then there was a joint lunch with Spanish delicacies, followed by a daily workshop in which we exchanged views on various relevant work topics and everyone was able to bring in their own ideas and topics, which were then discussed together.
The end of work was then always enjoyed to the fullest in order to be able to see as much of the island as possible. In addition to visiting the beach, playing beach ball and swimming towards the sunset, the hike to the Barranco de las Vacas was a real highlight. The relatively strenuous path through the nature of Gran Canaria in the hot afternoon sun was rewarded with a beautiful path through the natural monument.
"All in all, the NEXT team event was a complete success from my point of view, because in addition to the daily regular work, there was an opportunity for intensive exchange and getting to know each other better. Relevant topics could be discussed openly and honestly. The interpersonal aspect was also very important during the week.” (Lea Hildenbrand, Head of Project Management)
What does NEXT actually stand for?
You have certainly asked yourselves what NEXT actually stands for as the name of this team experience. This was not chosen randomly, but has a specific meaning for us. The "N" stands for New Work, since PHOENIX MEDIA, as a hybrid company, integrates new and modern working methods into everyday life and thus offers employees a maximum of flexibility. The "EX" stands for Experiences, because we as a team wanted to gain a lot of new experiences together and attach great importance to doing cool things in general. The “T” ultimately stands for team, as our biggest goal was to grow even closer together as a team and to get to know each other better.
“For me personally, it was the first time I went abroad with teammates as part of a workation. The trick is to perfectly harmonize both – work and vacation. And looking back, I can only say that it worked really well and none of the areas were neglected. PHOENIX MEDIA showed us great appreciation with this trip and I am very grateful that I was a part of this experience!" (Debora Göhring, HR Manager)
An experience that connected
Looking back, we can say that the Team Experience Week brought great added value for all participants, both on a personal and professional level. As part of the daily workshops, a lot of input was collected and feedback was obtained, which is now to be integrated into daily work. During this week we were able to get to know each other even better and have grown even closer together through the joint activities. In the future, team building measures like these will take place regularly for all locations. We are already looking forward to that!
If you are interested, you can watch our recap video on Youtube or Instagram. Have fun!
