The Pre-Pandemic Lithios Workplace

The benefits of working with a smaller (>20 people) team in a shared workplace are plenty. At a software design and development agency like Lithios, where team members from multiple departments all join together on the same projects, daily interface across teams can be helpful for a smooth transition between project phases. This type of work environment can mean productive brainstorming sessions, immediate feedback, quick clarification, and fewer meetings. 

Another important aspect of working in a shared space is getting to know one another on a personal level (kind of unavoidable in a small office). Showing up to work as your authentic self and being fully accepted by your colleagues is, simply put, a sign of a healthy work environment. We’ve all heard before that community is important for mental health, and at 40 hours per week, a work community is, for better or worse, a significant part of one’s life. When COVID-19 hit and the Lithios team began working from home, we had to find new ways to maintain that community.

Adjusting To Remote Work During Covid

Since mid-March of 2020, the Lithios team has found an abundance of socially-distanced ways to sustain our sense of work-community, including, but certainly not limited to: collaborative internal projects, sending each other fresh cookies, garden veggies, and t-shirts, biweekly video standups, and dozens of games of Among Us during happy hour. While productivity has remained high, our more isolated, work-from-home setting just doesn’t produce the same quality of office banter as working together in a small office for prolonged periods of time.

To change that and reunite once again as the Lithi-crew (as we fondly call ourselves), last month, 15 months after we left our office to live the #remotelife (and post-Covid-vaccinations, of course) we held our long-overdue annual Lithi-retreat. These retreats are only a couple days long, but they’re filled with endless board games, card games, video games (we are a tech company, after all), and inventive team-building activities.

Our first-annual Lithi-Games: DeShawn and Ziwa belted to each other by the ankle -- Go Team V2!

The Lithi-lake house in the Middle of Nowhere, VA. Bringing a whole new meaning to #remotelife.

Brendan and Sarafina enjoying that #remotelife.

Brendan relaxing and Kyle... throwing a tantrum? We’re not really sure.

The Lithi-crew back in action.

Here at Lithios we pride ourselves on innovation. So what are we to do with no paddles in sight? Use frisbees, of course.

DeShawn, tubing like a pro.

Getting Back to “Normal”

Life during the pandemic has undoubtedly created varying levels of fear and uncertainty worldwide, so this retreat was focused on getting away for a few days (with no laptops allowed) to prioritize our mental health and reconnect with our team. In a time where we could only see each other virtually, taking some time away from work to bond in-person left us feeling recharged and with an enhanced sense of our strong community. While our work life might not ever be completely “normal” again, we know that giving our staff a break to recharge and reconnect will ensure that we return to work refreshed and ready to continue building the best possible software products.