Over the last sixteen months the team has grown by 25% and like the rest of the country many of us have been unable to see each other face to face. In the zoom world maintaining culture nevermind building it has been a real challenge. We have company daily virtual social catch ups every morning and a structured work wash up every Friday afternoon, but many of us still yearn for that office socialisation we used to have and enjoy so much.

As restrictions were lifted people were keen to see each other again, but there was anxiety on many levels. We discussed our anxieties with one of the charities we work with – Mind Over Mountains who suggested they facilitate a guided walk for everyone across the South Downs. The walk would provide an outdoor opportunity for people to meet new starters for the first time in the real world and allow mindfulness exercises on the way to help leave the stresses and strains of our busy lives behind. Mind Over Mountains also suggested that we were joined with some mindfulness coaches to help discuss any anxieties people wished to share with them.

Mind Over Mountains have a very simple but hugely effective approach when working with people. They believe spending time outdoors coaching people is the most powerful intervention to build resilience and maintain positive well-being. 

Over the years we have done many things as a company that people have hugely enjoyed, but the walk across the South Downs on one of the hottest days of the year was something a little special as the benefits were far more tangible and immediate to all. There was a genuine feeling among all of us that we had rekindled relationships with each other and nature, and started to build rapport with new employees as well as started to contextualise the events of the last sixteen months.

It was truly a great opportunity to get the digital product studio together in the great outdoors.

We are already thinking about where the next walk might be.