Publish date: 29 August, 2023Detail-oriented job seekers certainly don’t miss the “Gallery” section while researching companies on H512.com’s job board, because a picture is worth a thousand words. And pictures of programmers coding on the beach or in a cool cabin undoubtedly speak volumes about the company’s policy regarding where to work.
The offsite office has existed for many years in this country, but it gained popularity after the pandemic, when employees not only in the IT sector got used to working remotely. So it offered a great opportunity for people to break away from the routine and combine work duties with a little extra rest outside the standard 20 days, allowing them to toil in a fresh environment during the day and relax in a nice place in the evening. In short, work out their hours while relaxing. But how effective is this way of working and is the offsite office just another fad or is it becoming a necessity?
At the seaside or in the mountains?
Technology companies in the country most often organize an remote office once a year, and there are exceptions. “We do at least two off-site offices a year, and in 2022 we organized three editions due to strong interest from our team, as well as our desire to test more work from the mountains,” says Dilyana Beeva, Talent Community Manager at Lab08. Their first offsite is happening in the summer of 2021 in Kavatsy, and to date Lab08 has six editions behind them.
Other companies only organise ‘office getaways’ in the summer, as in the case of Mobile Wave Solutions, whose Green Office initiative was born last year:
“The offsite office gives employees the opportunity to choose the mountains once a month during the summer heat. Already with the first organization we witnessed an extremely positive reception to the idea, so we subsequently organized an off-site office simultaneously in Sofia, Varna and Plovdiv so that all colleagues could change the environment and immerse themselves in the peace and quiet of nature,” says Margarita Manolova, Senior Office & Event Manager.
The most common practice, however, is to hold off-site offices for at least one week, with some companies relying on the sea and others alternating the Black Sea with the mountains. Most often we alternate working from the mountains with working from the sea, as we have colleagues in our team who prefer the sea destinations because they can relax on the beach and be inspired by the sea atmosphere, while others choose the mountains for the tranquility and connection with nature,” says Veleslava Dimitrova, HR Specialist at Donatix.
ST6 also diversifies employees with different locations. We aim to have an offsite office once a year, and so far we only do it during the summer season. Last year we were at the seaside and this year we decided to work from the mountains,” says Denitsa Marinova, HR Assistant & Office Manager.
Marina Erova-Kamburova, Marketing Expert at ITGix, says that the decision where to organize an remote office is made after a vote and the sea is the preferred destination for 90% of the people in the company. Our choice is the Bulgarian Black Sea coast for a period of one week, and on weekdays we do our tasks from the beach and use the weekend for team building activities.”
Where is the line between offsite office and teambuilding?
Although it may be blurred given the informal interactions between the teams after work, the two activities have different purposes, “During the offsite office, we are very conscious that we are not just going to have fun, but rather to build on our working relationship. Last year, for example, during Summer Work From Sea, the working day was of a standard duration,” says Denitsa Marinova. According to Velislava Dimitrova, there is some overlap between most people’s understanding of an offsite office and teambuilding, but “The main difference is related to whether only one of our colleagues works from an offsite office or if there are more. In the former case we can’t talk about teambuilding, whereas in the latter there is certainly that element.”
Dilyana Beeva adds that the pop-up office provides a natural and casual teambuilding, but if the classic teambuilding lasts for a few days, the outsourced office is organized for at least a week. This gives the team the opportunity to spend more time together and experience more situations that lead to bonding. Mobile Wave Solutions specifies that team building is a place where work is kept at a distance, while at ITGix they combine the offsite office with team building activities that are a kind of reward at the end of another productive day.
How does an offsite office affect productivity?
Speaking of productivity by the sea waves or under the thick shade of an oak tree, it doesn’t seem to decrease at all, on the contrary: “In times when the virtual office is becoming more and more real, meeting colleagues outside the office routine increases productivity and the quality of work. Observing the great interest from teams, the open-air meetings, the cohesiveness and the live communication gives us good reason to believe that holding an offsite office is a useful practice that boosts productivity and creates a successful working environment outside the office,” says Margarita Manolova.
At Lab08, they have the same observations, with increased productivity having an impact on other aspects of Dilyana Beeva’s colleagues’ lives: “In addition to productivity in the direction of daily tasks, we have also noticed an increase in self-organised gatherings. During the pop-up office initiative, the team gets a mix between productive work and fun activities, resulting in people connecting and wanting to spend more time together.” Marina Erova-Kamburova confirms what she said, “Whether we work from the office, from home or from the seaside, we are all productive and give our best in completing our tasks. The sea breeze, the waves and the sunshine stimulate us to be more efficient and to visit our workplace with even more desire.”
At the same time, measuring productivity in such non-routine environments can seem like a daunting task, but, as Veleslava Dimitrova says, it is greatly facilitated if tasks are defined correctly, there is constant and timely communication about their progress, and adequate approaches and software solutions are used to plan and manage projects. And in more non-traditional organizations like ST6, where there are no bosses, each employee is personally responsible for their productivity, whether working from the office, at home, or during an offsite.
The pros and cons of an offsite office
Freedom and flexibility are obvious benefits of an offsite office, but it has many other pros that include:
An offsite office boosts employee creativity, and therefore employee productivity: “Changing the work atmosphere puts our employees in a different environment from their usual one and significantly increases their efficiency. This is clearly noticeable when working with conceptualizations, solving more complex problems, strategy meetings, planning and other similar tasks where communication between more people is needed,” Dilyana Beeva, Lab08.
Sofia
“The main plus of the offsite office is that we have the opportunity to diversify the working environment and have fun together again after the working day. After such an event, the team feels even more cohesive. Denitsa Marinova, ST6.
“The summer office is an opportunity to bring different teams together in a work environment that is conducive to communication. Such initiatives provoke creativity, the desire to get to know other colleagues, build friendly relationships and help us look at the work process from a different perspective,” Marina Erova-Kamburova, ITGix.
“The possibility of an offsite office helps to achieve a better work-life balance, and the change of work environment increases motivation and job satisfaction. Employees also have more flexibility to manage their working hours and work space,” Velislava Dimitrova, Donatix.
An outdoor office supports employees’ mental and physical health: “It has been proven that cognitive brain function and productivity improve significantly in nature. Fresh air and meeting colleagues outside the office contributes to higher productivity, team cohesion, elevated mood and energizing effect. In addition, we combine work commitments and meetings with a hike in the mountains during the lunch break or after work,” Margarita Manolova, Mobile Wave Solutions.
But setting up an offsite office has its challenges, the main ones being:
- It can be difficult to guarantee workflow continuity.
- The organisation of the remote work itself.
- Employee expectations for an even more interesting and atypical offsite office in the coming year.
- Finding a suitable location with the necessary capacity for larger teams.
- The poor internet connectivity in co-working spaces.
- The mosquitoes :).
And finally – what does the Outside Office package include?
To achieve an even better work-life balance, an offsite office often allows employees to bring family members with them, as they do at Donatix and ST6. In this case, the employer covers all or part of the cost for them, and there are also companies that include pets in the package. Of course, employers cover all costs associated with the offsite office (transportation, lodging, meals), adding many other fringe benefits to the package. For example, ITGix brand gifts, organize extra dinners, cocktails and other party activities, at Mobile Wave Solutions they provide a huge cake for all colleagues who are born during the month, and Lab08 sponsors various team activities such as concerts, boat rides, movie nights, beach activities, sports and barbecues.
All of this is to show as much personal attention to each employee as possible, anticipating and responding to their needs while working outside the office. The result? Happier, more motivated and more productive employees working in companies that will continue to do everything possible to retain them.
