A company’s greatest asset is its people.
In recent years, this statement has come more alive as businesses take a human-centric approach to organization. Rigid assembly lines are falling out of favor for a company culture that fosters collaboration, transparency, and open communication.
At DevWerkz, we strive to espouse and apply those values to our day-to-day operations. We believe that nurturing professional relationships within and between different departments helps us hit our mark and go beyond the ask.
This year, DevWerkz held its first in-person team-building event held at Casa de Amena from April 29 to May 1, 2022.
The private resort offered a much-needed break and a chance to finally meet the people behind DevWerkz’s success.
DevWerkz’s First
Even before the pandemic, our company has always operated remotely. This arrangement necessitates trust in our people. Luckily, DevWerkz has attracted only the finest and most dependable pool of talent, driving our business forward.
From just the three original full-time employees, DevWerkz is now home to more than 20 full-time team members plus a handful of part-time consultants.
With so many new faces on our roster, and countless hours spent collaborating, it was high time to get together in person.
“This is our first and hopefully not the last outing. I have high hopes and dreams for DevWerkz and like I said before, we’re able to grow because I’m surrounded by supportive, talented, and skilled resources who are like friends and family. We started off with just us three, and now we’re a bit more than that, but I want to still maintain the feeling that at any time, you can approach us for anything.” MC Leonie Rogado
Laying Back and Building Connections
The main goal of our team-building event was to get to know each other outside of our work personas. While we’re used to moving as a unit for our clients, the lighter atmosphere at the resort made it easier to forge personal bonds with the team.
Casa de Amena was packed with amenities perfect for fun and leisure. We had access to a swimming pool, karaoke machine, billiards table, basketball court, and mini arcade.
While everyone was free to do whatever they wanted to unwind, we made sure to huddle up when it was time to eat and have drinks.
To make the event more special, we allowed each member of our crew to bring an additional guest and their kids.
Day 1: Opening Up
The team traveled separately to get to the venue, so the majority of our first day was spent settling in and making ourselves comfortable.
Early attendees mingled amongst themselves with a bit of hesitance. But once everyone was checked in and shared our first meal, there were more voices heard around the table.
After dinner, we proceeded with a light drinking game, followed by free time to explore the resort. People with similar interests naturally formed small groups to play billiards, swim, or sing karaoke. Others enjoyed exchanging stories over beers and finger food.
The fun and excitement went far through the night, with most of our team members staying up until early morning. What was once a group of co-workers too shy to make the first move, we wrapped up day one feeling more like a family.
Day 2: Friendly Competition
Tuckered out from Day 1’s festivities, our attendees slept in until it was time for lunch. While eating, it was apparent how much the atmosphere has changed—everyone was more relaxed and candid.
To kickstart the program, DevWerkz’s top management led a quick townhall. MC Leonie Rogado, Aviana Rogado, and Jymyl Bandong opened the meeting with a warm thank you speech, acknowledging the effort of the attendees to make the event. They also recognized team members who weren’t able to fly out but helped organize everything from the itinerary to booking the venue.
“Thank you to everyone who made the effort to come, especially to the engagement team for organizing this outing.” Aviana Rogado
Important updates were also discussed, like the current state of clients and projects as well as new company policies that will soon take into effect. The meeting ended with everyone getting a shoutout for their impeccable work ethic and dedication to the company.
“Thank you everyone for the trust and for all the work that you do for us. Wala tayo here without the full effort of everyone, and let’s keep our culture healthy—communication and transparency are key. (Thank you everyone for the trust and for all the work that you do for us. We wouldn’t be here without your full efforts. Let’s keep our culture healthy—communication and transparency are key).” MC Leonie Rogado
Finally, it was time to shift gears and resume our vacation.
Team and Individual Games
Weaving a little friendly competition into the program was one of our event’s highlights. We split up into two teams: Team Avi and Team MC/Jymyl. Since many of us keep active and play video games, it was easy to tap into our competitive sides.
Everyone was eager to outplay the opposing team in relay and party games. The adrenaline was high and people were pumped while playing Pass The Message, Marshmallow Relay, Tower Building, and the Cup Stack Challenge.
After losing to Team MC/Jym in the first game, Team Avi dominated the rest of the team games and took the victory.
Trivia games were next in our lineup, this time played individually. Team members were tested on their knowledge of pop culture, movies, history, and anything under the sun. Up until the last question, the energy was high and everyone kept their game face on to come out on top.
Leisure Time
Even after a night of drinking and half a day playing games, our crew still had the fire to compete in a basketball match and billiards. Although, some of our attendees opted for less intense activities like swimming and playing with their kids.
Before turning in, DevWerkz held one last game: a beer pong tournament. As you can imagine, we were all smiles but also dead-focused on perfecting our aim.
Day 3: Winding Down
Since we had to check out early from the resort, the team was up and about before 10 AM to clean, pack up, and say our goodbyes.
Post-Event Feedback
We talked to some of our attendees to ask how they found the event. Jymyl says that getting to know everyone boosted his drive and motivation:
“Para sa’kin knowing us all in person sobrang nakakatuwa and nakaka motivate. Sana next year na agad para makapag bonding uli tayong lahat and macomplete (For me, it was really fun getting to know everyone in person and it makes me feel motivated. I wish it was next year already so we could bond together again, hopefully with the entire team).” Jymyl Bandong, Head of Engineering
For Johanna Dazo, DevWerkz is more than just a company:
“DevWerkz team is really not just a team but a family! ‘Yung kulit sa virtual meetings—10x pa pala in person. Sobrang light kasama ng lahat. (DevWerkz team is really not just a team but a family! The fun, friendly energy during virtual meetings is 10x more in person. It’s easy being in everyone’s company, everything is so light)” Johanna Dazo, Junior Project Manager
Similar sentiments are shared by other team members:
“It is good to see colleagues [in person] from time to time to create bond[s] and be closer to one another given our line of work.” Jose Dalida, Senior Project Manager:
“Communication is the most important sa team.. and nakakatuwa lang ung mga bosses how much they value their employees (Communication is the most important thing in a team. It’s great to see our bosses valuing their employees).” Jelyn Sequito, QA Engineer
Moving Forward
Based on the feedback from our attendees, we can confidently say that we’ve met the goals of our event.
Just days after we left the resort, we noticed improvements in our team’s dynamic. Everyone was more comfortable interacting with each other and voicing out their suggestions. Meetings are more engaging and transparency has never been better.
The outing was so successful that DevWerkz decided to arrange in-person team-building events annually.
This goes to show that investing in our people goes a long way for us and our clients.
Learn More About DevWerkz
At DevWerkz Web Design and Web Development, our clients are our partners. Read more about our team and company values here.