After undergoing what feels like numerous lockdowns, I think our team has really thrived in the socializing department. We all do miss each other in the office but I honestly believe being apart has brought us closer together. Cheesy I know… it’s all Gouda.
Personally, I try to have face-to-face conversations with each one of my colleagues on a weekly basis. Whether I’m asking a question about a project, or just a quick call to say “hi,” my teammates always answer when I call – this is something I’m truly grateful for because the team at REM is comprised of some of the funniest individuals I know.
In addition to our virtual face-to-face chats, at REM our entire team gathers on a call and collectively plays a game on Wednesdays! This weekly gathering is always filled with laughter and is the meeting I look forward to every week. I highly suggest implementing this “virtual fun time” with your teams, it boosts comradery, and pauses the stresses we all are facing right now.
In an effort to get you started here are some games that we’ve played so far:
This game will truly test your sneak abilities. You’ll strategize together as a team to survive and have fun calling out your team members who hold the keys to your fate in the game.
Online Poker
This game really does bring out our competitive behaviours. It’s a great way to learn each other’s bluffing skills and push each other to our limits. It usually ends in an exciting show down that will have everyone talking.
Although I haven’t played this specific game with the team yet, I hear it’s quite a riveting time. The synopsis – virtual Pictionary – drawing with a mouse leads to everyone having a grand old time.
Have you played any games with your team members lately? If you have, please share them with us! We love trying new things!
Let me preface this blog with the fact that I cannot play foosball. It’s not that I don’t want to, or I don’t care to it’s simply just one of those games that I cannot succeed at. I’m a klutz by nature with absolutely no hand-eye coordination so playing the game of foosball just never fared well for me.
However, I do love how much joy it brings my teammates, I desperately miss the sounds and laughter of my colleagues over lunch challenging each other. Whether or not each individual chooses to play, it’s an important part of our culture at REM and gives us a little bit more than just a lunch hour break.
When asked why Foosball is such an important part of the REM culture our designer Christine had a lot to say:
“Foosball at REM builds comradery between coworkers and teaches us good sportsmanship, friendly competition and owning up to mistakes, while being silly and goofing around. It adds excitement in our office, we cheer loudly for our coworkers when we compete, which builds confidence in other areas of our lives, like our jobs. Foosball gives us an opportunity to laugh and witness aspects of each other’s personality we don’t normally see and is a great way to 'break the ice' and welcome a new team member into the group. It encourages us to create strategies and 'think outside the box,' thereby stimulating the innovative, problem solving parts of our brain.
"Besides the emotional and mental benefits, it’s also physically good for us and here’s why – Foosball encourages us to get up and move, even if it’s mostly our arms that are moving. We use quick, powerful motions with our arms and wrists during the game, which loosens our forearm muscles, helps circulation and relieves tension. It also increases our heart-rate, promoting good health. We’ve proven this by looking at our smart-watches with heartbeat monitors. One time, Sean S. was super dialed into the game and his heartbeat rose to more than 120 beats/minute (that’s in the fat burning zone!).”
Did You Know:
Businesses & non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees should have made their website and web content accessible by January 1st, 2021?
It’s not too late! Make your website AODA compliant.
Visit aodawebsites.ca!
The REM team wishes you and your family all the best for 2021. Have a wonderful, happy new year!
Please note that we'll be closed on Friday, January 1st.
REM wishes you and your family a safe and happy holiday season! Don’t forget to vote for your favourite REM Holiday Face Mask!
As a friendly reminder: our office will be closed on Dec. 24, 25 & 28.
VOTE NOW!
It’s been quite some time now that most of our team has been working from home, we miss each other and our awesome office.
One of the most important things when working remotely is having a dedicated workspace to stay engaged and ready for action. A well-armed, personalized, organized, ergonomic home office makes all the difference when battling one’s foes, also known as daily tasks and routine. For most of us who are nerds and/or gamers, we wanted to show off our sweet setups, complete with multiple monitors, LED lights and peripheral equipment/devices. There are some perks to working at home for me – I get to snuggle with my dog on my breaks and make really good lunches!
We decided that it would be great to share what our at home “battle stations” look like and give you a few ideas for yours!
Sean Sanderson
Christine Votruba
Sean Legge
Sean McParland
Ryan Covert
Rob Matlow
Todd Hannigan
Matt Stern
Shauna Ramsaroop
For more tips on how to create a great workspace, check out this blog post: “A Streamlined Work Environment”
Thank you for supporting REM in the past year!
This year to celebrate the season, the REM Team hand-crafted holiday themed face masks. Click here to see our crafty creations and vote for your favourite!
Most importantly, we wish you a Fantastic Holiday Season and a Bright & Energetic New Year!
As a friendly note: We will be closed on December 24, 25, 28 and January 1 to allow our team a chance to spend time with their family. We look forward to working with you in 2021.
Sincerely,
REM Web Solutions
Team quarterly events have always been part of our company culture here at REM. Each quarter, we all get together for a team event that is fun, competitive and allows us to kick back and let our worries melt away. It’s also an opportunity for us to collect our yearly GPA’s – a points system that we have in place at REM that encourages us to embody our Guiding Principles that we can cash in for additional perks each year!
This quarter was no exception and we decided to play a poker tournament! With all of us in the office (except Ryan who managed to stay involved on our big screen) we were able to run two poker tournaments, eat some snacks and win some money (rewards gifted by Rob). It was an absolute blast! As per usual, Sean McParland (better known as “McP” in the office) played it calm and cool and with his beginner’s luck took the first table. I didn’t do too bad myself taking the loser’s table in a good ole showdown with Sean S.!
Matt did an absolutely fantastic job planning the event and I’m beyond excited for the next one. Stay tuned – it’s going to involve a lot of snow and a lot of laughs!
Our first AODA Webinar last week was a huge success! Thanks very much to everyone that attended!
Join us for the next free AODA webinar on Tuesday, December 8th at 9:30am.
Our AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) certified Graphic Designers: Sean S. and Christine V. have put together an interactive presentation discussing what it is, how it affects you and your business, and its design factors. There will also be helpful resources to help make your website complaint.
This is a virtual event in Zoom hosted by The Cambridge Chamber of Commerce; please sign up in advance to get the link and details before the event.
Register to the event now by going to The Chamber’s event page.
Stay tuned for even more future webinar dates! For useful info and facts about AODA visit aodawebsites.ca.
In previous blog posts I chose not to even type the name “COVID-19” mainly because I was exhausted of hearing about it, frustrated with the pandemic, doing my best to force a smile behind my masked face. Here we are again – amidst the second wave and although it’s not the greatest feeling, I feel like we’ve come together to make it more bearable.
How is our REM team coping? I think we’re doing a pretty great job! We are in the office (our little bubble is not open to the public) and we’re all more than 6 feet away from each other. It’s nice to feel a sense of normalcy – coming into an office in the morning and leaving in the afternoon. While in the office we sometimes need to be in closer proximity to each other, we mask up – especially in shared spaces such as our washroom and kitchen.
We’ve removed things such as shared towels and installed a hand dryer in the washroom (Thanks, Rob!), we don’t bring in shared treats, nor do we eat lunch together anymore – which I’m the first to admit I miss, but safety first! We have also been given the flexibility to work from home when needed – which is fantastic, especially for those of us with young ones. Our team really and truly has adopted a very flexible work schedule, and we are far more sensitive to everyone’s limitations which is truly a beautiful thing.
At the first sign of any feeling of being ill, we stay home and determine whether we should get tested, quarantine ourselves for two weeks and then resume back in the office.
Luckily for us we have not had an issue, we’re all still healthy and most importantly we’re here for you!
