Every year, presentation software provider relocates its entire team to a new city somewhere in the world, for a month. Its CEO, Johnny Warström, explains the benefits for the business.
Company relocations often take place for practical reasons, such as accommodating company expansion or office redesign. However, they can also be be used to implement a new way of working.
Moving offices, or cities, can kick-start a
company into assessing the way it operates;
it can motivate and encourage employee
performance, and enhance both internal and
public perception of the business. Relocations
can be a catalyst for the internal makeover of a
company, not just an aesthetic one.
Every year, Mentimeter, an interactive presentation platform based in Sweden, with approximately 50 employees, relocates its entire team to a new city somewhere in the world, for a month. With clients scattered across the globe, this practice has become an essential part of our core business.
Aims and objectives with relocation
Mentimeter’s first company relocation was in 2016, when we were accepted to the 500 Startups accelerator programme in San Francisco. The company took the decision to move the entire office to the tech hub for four months.
This relocation proved so successful that it led to the decision to make office relocation an annual feature of company life. In 2017, the office relocated to Barcelona for four weeks. In 2018, the chosen location was Lisbon, Portugal. Since this initiative started, the company’s retention rate has been 100%, demonstrating the popularity and success of the programme among employees.
‘The key is to find somewhere that reflects
the company’s core values’
Practicalities and challenges
The relocation takes place every year in February, however the process of relocating begins six months earlier, with the important first step of picking a location. The key is to find somewhere that reflects the company’s core values. Criteria include how innovative and forward-thinking the place is, along with the destination’s climate, and most importantly, the culture and inspiration on offer to employees.
With longer trips, offering flexibility to employees is essential. Employees should be able to opt out if they feel the location or timing of the relocation is not suitable for them. The process of relocating is all about personal and professional development, therefore making the trip inclusive to all, no matter their circumstances, is essential.
If employees are unable to join the
relocation for the entire period, they can
instead come for a shorter time, as they wish.
Staying true to the company’s core value
of inclusivity, this year the team has also
introduced an option for family-members to
join the trip. One of Mentimeter’s key beliefs
is that it is important to ensure that the whole team is involved in the decision-making process. Employee feedback before, during and after the trip is also an essential part of making these relocations a success.
These trips don’t come free to the company, but the benefits gained from such an experience ensure that the rewards outweigh the financial costs.
As companies grow and teams become larger, the planning process of group holidays and away days becomes more complex and relocation programmes might need
to be altered. But, at Mentimeter, talent management is one of our biggest and most important investments, and the relocation programme is central to that.
Johnny Warström is CEO of Mentimeter.
