#424 Painting Fun Into Remote Work

This week, we hosted a virtual paint-along with art kits sent to our team members. 🎨

At Parabol, we believe that mixing fun into work makes all the difference—especially for remote teams! As a fully remote company, we understand the importance of finding creative ways to bond and build relationships with our colleagues despite being physically apart. This is why we regularly incorporate these types of fun, shared experiences into our work routine.

The end result? Beautiful (remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder 😝) paintings created by our talented team and a stronger sense of camaraderie.

But it’s not just about having fun. Virtual team activities can also help alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness, as well as improve morale and motivation. Plus, participating in activities together increases trust and understanding among team members, making it easier to work together effectively.

So while virtual paint-alongs may seem like a small gesture, I truly believe that a little bit of fun goes a long way in building a strong and successful team.

We’d love to hear how you bring fun into your work environment.

In addition to fun, we also value time to recharge, which is why we take a winter break at the end of each year. During this time, our team members have the opportunity to step away from work and focus on self-care and rejuvenation. Whether it’s spending quality time with loved ones, pursuing personal hobbies, or simply enjoying some well-deserved rest, we believe that taking a break is essential. By allowing ourselves this dedicated time to recharge, we come back refreshed, energized, and ready to tackle new challenges with renewed enthusiasm.

Next Thursday is our last working day in 2024, so this is our final Friday Ship post of 2024 before heading into our winter break. It has been a challenging but inspiring year, and I’m grateful to be a part of this journey with Parabol. Stay tuned for exciting updates in the coming year. Wishing you all a joyful and restful holiday season! 🎉🎄

We’re beginning to feel the typical end-of-year slowdown, with monthly active users down compared to last week. On a positive note, weekly signups continue to show strong performance, which is an encouraging sign as we head into the holiday season.

…announced the winner of our competition between Parabol Members for who can author the best Team Insights AI prompt.

…held our user feedback retro for Shape Up Cycle 5.

…shipped v8.11.0 into production, which included a lovely improvement to reflection group titles.

…make a mad dash 🏃 to wrap up any last minute items before enjoying a nice winter break. Reminder that the Parabol Team will be OOO starting 20-Dec. We will be back to our regular (and refreshed) programming on 2-Jan.