Team retreats are a great way to bring the company together. Despite the fact that we found and implemented many virtual ways to stay connected, nothing compares to interacting as a full company force in person. With the past couple years of remote/ hybrid working arrangements brought about by the pandemic, as well as an expansion of our global offices and remote team across Asia, a company retreat is something that has been long-anticipated.
With 2022 being a big and busy year for us, the retreat aimed to serve as a celebration and treat for the entire STACS team to disconnect and have fun at the beautiful tropical beaches of Desaru, Malaysia.
Of course, over the three-day two-night trip together, team building, goal setting, and aligning on the company’s value and vision were also key objectives that were set out. CSR was also incorporated as one of the key agenda, which sure made the trip even more meaningful.
What better way to recap how we spent our retreat than sharing some photos!
STACS Let’s Go!
Timed fittingly right at the start of 2023 (4 – 6 Jan 2023), the theme for this year’s retreat was “STACS Let’s Go!”
In place of our usual January monthly meeting, STACS Founder and Managing Director Benjamin Soh shared on the company vision and focus for the year ahead in his speech.
On the product front, our focus in 2023 would be to modularize our existing live use cases, to ensure replicability and facilitate our scale-up across Asia.
People remains as a key company value at STACS, and the management will prioritise the growth of team leaders, in a move that is aligned with our rapid regional scale-up and portfolio expansion.
Team Building Program – Indoor adrenaline, Beach, and “F1”!
On our way to Desaru, we visited EnerG X Park on Day 1 – there, we played adrenaline-fuelled games such as extreme dodge ball on trampolines, going down a massive donut slide, and indoor cage soccer.
From moving “radioactive” blocks via 8 strings, to playing badminton with woks and dustpans, to moving a golf ball from one end to another through plastic rods, we kickstarted Day 2 with team building at the beautiful resort beaches at Desaru.
The air was filled with a spirit of friendly rivalry as the STACS team split into five groups and competed towards first place under the hot sun, by securing as many station wins as possible.
The next segment of team bonding was held indoors back at the hotel but it was no less exhilarating – we were tasked to build a winning “F1 car for Ferrari” from scratch! Under a tight time limit of 1.5-hours, our teamwork and problem solving abilities were put into play, as we set off in our same groups to collaborate, brainstorm, and execute the ideas, ending off with a march-in (or perhaps more fittingly, “drive-in”) and pitch of our end-products.
Consolidating points from the earlier beach segment, the winning group was announced and medalled.
Everyone was 100% engaged and well-immersed throughout, and the team members definitely warmed up to each other through the day of fun and casual competition! Big props to the superb facilitators from Run Solution Malaysia!
Gala Dinner: Back to School
Throughout the duration of the STACS company retreat, bonding over delicious buffet meals – and lots of drinks – became one of the key highlights that we looked forward to, with our HR Manager, Fidia Lim, organising fun and well-thought-out games that helped to ice-break, team build, and test us on our knowledge of the team!
On the last night, the team all went Back to School for a fancy eight-course gala dinner! It was a blast and everyone had their best outfit game on. From swim coach, to coordinated school uniforms, to even recreating their alma mater uniforms, take a look at some of the best-dressed of the night!
After a fun game of bingo (talk about retro!) and an incredible live band performance, the team was treated to a sure-win lucky draw, with prizes ranging from tickets to attractions in Singapore, to high tea at hotels, to the latest apple watch, and even a fully-paid staycation trip!
Beach Clean Up
Being Asia’s green fintech leader, we pride ourselves in walking the talk. On Day 3, we headed down to a grey sand beach along the coast of Desaru to help clean up the shores. With the team’s determination and efforts, we managed to collect 200kg worth of plastic, metal, and miscellaneous trash.
While a day’s worth of efforts is not enough, we hope this inspires everyone to integrate sustainability in their daily lives, and as a company, we will be continuing our green efforts when we return – with updated recycling and green initiatives implemented in the office.
Department Huddle – Evaluation of 2022 and targets for 2023
Before we wrapped up our retreat, we got serious on Day 3 for a Department Huddle session. With a new-found sense of clarity, comradery, and alignment fostered from the past few days, the Engineering, Business Development, Marketing, and Operations teams huddled separately to deep dive on evaluating the past year, and setting out our focus and KPIs for 2023.
STACS 2023 Let’s go!
All good things must come to an end, and with that, we embarked on our ferry trip back to Singapore.
This year’s retreat allowed us to take a step back, connect and foster deeper bonds with our team members, and rediscover our passion for the work we do.
It left us with a clearer appreciation and understanding of our common goal and purpose towards bringing forward the future of sustainable finance, and instilled a sense of belonging within the STACS team.
It is with this renewed motivation, inspiration, and passion that we embark on 2023 – STACS, let’s go!
A big thank you to the HR and Ops team for the intentioned planning and all the efforts in making this trip happen!
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