Here at Instrumental, we believe that building a strong, cohesive community is foundational to company success. Since 2022, we’ve been hosting quarterly in-person gatherings with all North American employees (both local and remote), which have played a huge part in building that authentic team spirit. They’ve been filled with opportunities to celebrate achievements, develop new ideas, and discuss our most important goals.
Here’s a recap of some of our favorite moments from this past year!
Nothing brings our teams together like lunches and snack sessions. All throughout our on-site weeks we have company-sponsored lunches to bring all teams to the table together. We have a competitive streak, so there have been plenty of food-themed throw-downs. Of course we had the classic bake-offs, but a key highlight was a pizza-making competition where gold foil was brought into the race.
For the members of our team who enjoy food in a more refined environment, we’ve also hosted afternoon teas and other food-themed activities. During the holidays, a group of Swedish team members shared with the company a special kind of Fika which involved sweet cakes and warm beverages.
Building on our competitive streak, many of our team bonding activities revolve around challenges and races. Good thing is that “play to win” is one of our company values!
When you put a bunch of Instrumentalists into an escape room, you know there is going to be a wild race against the clock. Our G&A team recently took on a heist-themed room. They of course beat the clock.
Board games are also a regular occurrence at Instrumental. We’ve had individuals host a board game night for the whole company where teams have gone head to head in Settlers of Catan. Scavenger hunts are also always a crowd pleaser with our team as it allows us to get outside while hunting for clues. Our GTM team recently ventured around downtown Palo Alto for a scavenger hunt that led to some fierce rivalry as well as some hilarious commemorative photos.
A few times a year our engineering team hosts a hackathon where teams work on fun and quirky projects that produced both laughter and new feature ideas. Witty prizes such as banana and thumbs up statues were recently awarded for “best overall” and “audience choice”!
To wrap up our 2022 Q4 onsite, the Instrumental team gathered at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View for our annual holiday party, and it was a night to remember! The evening was festive and fun-filled, complete with delicious food, music, and of course, plenty of holiday cheer.
In true Instrumental fashion, the ugly sweater competition was fierce. After votes were tallied, a homemade, snowman-themed, light-up sweater took first place!
Overall, it was a wonderful evening filled with raffle prizes, photobooth gifs, and great company. Feelings of appreciation for working with such a talented and dedicated team were palpable, and we already couldn’t wait for next year’s holiday party!
