Motion Software is known for doing things differently. Being one of the pioneers of remote working in Southeast Europe, our teams have been part of the current work revolution ever since the company was established back in 2015. This has enabled us to have an international team of highly skilled and motivated digital specialists. Over the years it became a theme for our company to combine our love of nature and technology. It turns out we’ve naturally followed what is now desired by so many – a lifestyle rather than a cold paycheck.
Work in nature
Meeting in person and creating memorable experiences is as valuable for remote companies as it is for those who prefer to stick to the office. For years our company tembuildings have been focused on outdoor activities, beautiful surroundings, and nature. This time around we’ve decided to take things to the next level. Instead of doing a regular 2-day team building for our company, we’ve decided to introduce a new concept – bringing the office back for just a week.
Hold on! It’s not what you’re thinking. We haven’t actually asked people to come back to the office. What we’ve done is to create impromptu office facilities in Garmen – a remote Bulgarian village. For just a week we’ve invited all team members to a co-working and co-living fairytale full of beautiful landscapes, a productive and stress-free work environment, organic food, hikes and so much more.
The location
Situated in southwestern Bulgaria, Garmen village is as remote as it gets. It is located in the breathtaking Rhodope mountains. The region has preserved a level of authenticity that is increasingly hard to find. This provided our adventure with a unique and timeless backdrop that felt as if we were going back in time.
Our home for the week was Garmen Hills – 6000 m2 of bliss, privacy, peace and quiet, home-grown and homemade food.
Getting work done
The area of the complex provided us with the opportunity to have designated spaces and work in teams. Those of us that had individual work could either do it by the pool or in the big hall which we’ve transformed into a dream co-working space. Not to brag about it too much, but here are just some of our work settings:
The Activities
Nothing raises the communal spirit as efficiently as food. Several times, past working hours, we’ve decided to cook our own food which ended up being a wonderful bonding experience. It turned out we love co-cooking as much as co-working.
Of course, we treated ourselves to board games, hikes on the nearby mountain paths, swimming, playing different sports, and more. All were carefully selected by our badass Community manager – Lubomira Stoynova – the master of all Motion Software events.
Team building
To top it all off, at the end of our week-long co-working adventure we continued with Motion Software’s first official team building for the year. Therefore, on Friday, an even bigger part of the team decided to join for the weekend and take part in the series of team building activities we had planned.
The location remained the same.
Friday evening marked the begging of the official team-building festivities with a gala dinner out in the open.
Motion Cup
The theme of our team building in Garmen was “childhood games”. Channeling the inner child in us, early Saturday morning we embarked on a veeery competitive tournament that we named “Motion Cup”. It included dozens of our favourite childhood classics such as Red Light, Green Light, Tug of War, Dodgeball, Volleyball, Basketball, and a set of board games. The competitiveness was through the roof so eventually, we had to calm everyone down with a mouth-watering barbecue by the pool.
Looking ahead
Now that COVID-19 is no longer in the way, we have planned a variety of company events, including international tech conferences, networking events, after-work drinks, team buildings, and outposts. Our time in Garmen was an unforgettable experience that we are now preparing several week-long outposts to carry out in 2022. The next will be next month and we cannot wait! Here’s a hint. We’ll be going to the beach!
Motion Software is not just a company. It’s a lifestyle. If you feel like this is the type of work-life balance you need, check out our open positions.