Since 10 years is a big moment, we’re taking the time to celebrate properly. We previously shared with you 10 things we’ve learned in 10 years and 10 business snapshots.Yet, a company is made of its people and we’re one big team. The occasion also called for mentioning some of our special, somewhat personal moments.So, here we go, 10 fun memories from 10 years of Qubiz.
There’s always something special about spending time in the open with your colleagues over team building exercises. You’re out of your comfort zone, challenged to work at some task designed to bring you closer together as a team. Add to that fresh air, warm summer days and you have the perfect recipe for delightful moments as a team.Briefly, that’s how our first Summer Camp was, back in 2010. Together with our partners, we went for a long weekend at Coada Lacului. We built a plank on wheels, played football, paintball and went on a hike together.After that Summer Camp, we made it a habit to hold two retreats every year: one is a ski trip in winter, and the other one is a trip in summer. If you want to see how this has grown, check out our 10 years anniversary Summer Camp.
Life at work gets so much better when you connect with colleagues outside of work. This means being there to share the special moments and milestones along each other’s paths. Getting married is definitely included here.Over the years we’ve attended quite a few weddings for colleagues. But the first one we got invited to was Bia’s. She got married in September 2010 and we were happy to be able to celebrate with them.
Back in 2008 - 2009, Christmas parties weren’t so common, especially in smaller companies. Yet the winter holidays have a certain kind of magic to them. What’s more, right around that time, our first office building was completed in Oradea - all the more reason to celebrate.So we got together, team members and partners, for our first ever Christmas party. Since we weren’t that many, it was rather intimate, but we danced, laughed and had fun. Most importantly: we set a new team tradition together.
From day one, we have been firm believers in helping others. It starts from the inside, with our colleagues and it extends to the community around us. We like to give back and extend our support with every chance we get.The first opportunity to help out came in 2010. Around the winter holidays, a colleague’s wife told us about a foster home near Ineu. So, we got organized and bought sweets, shoes, and games for the children. Then, we visited with the presents and some caroling.Since then, we’ve visited the foster home near Ineu at least once a year - sometimes even with our clients. Also, we’ve taken helping others one step further by donating all the prize money from our first internal hackathon to NGOs.
Our first sports event together was Crosul Companiilor in Oradea in 2011. Dan, one of our most experienced colleagues, talked almost everyone into signing up for it. He also made them train at the running tracks at the University of Oradea so they won’t have trouble competing. What’s fun is that for some colleagues, that was the first and the last time they ran a half marathon. For others, it was the beginning of a new hobby.Also, to encourage colleagues in the competition, we created the first branded sports equipment. This became the norm in Qubiz: we support colleagues who attend sports events, with the competition fee and with custom sports equipment.
In Qubiz, we practice over 15 sports. But cycling is by far the one that’s closest to our hearts. We bike to work whenever we get the chance and we organize bike rides after work, having some beer and pizza afterward. That’s one of the reasons why we hosted Qubiz Bike Ride.Our passion for cycling started back in 2012 when Timo, one of our colleagues, suggested that we go on a bike ride after work. Two or three colleagues joined, they had lots of fun, came back and told the others. One week later, after work, a larger group went for a bike ride after work and the rest is history.
Becoming a parent is one of the big turning points in life. And at the same time, one of the biggest joys. The first Qubiz team member to become a parent was Mircea: he and his wife welcomed their daughter in 2012.Two or three months after, another colleague, Adrian, joined the club as he became the proud dad of a baby boy. We were happy to be there for these moments, to congratulate them properly.
Since it’s a time to give and to receive, the holidays are a special time for anyone. Back in 2013, for our team in Cluj-Napoca, it was also a great chance to get to know each other better.So, to get into the Holidays spirit, we had a Secret Santa over there. Gabi, our managing partner in Cluj received a wine bottle with a Photoshopped label featuring him in the center and all the other colleagues around him.All in all, since we had a good time with it, we made this a regular thing over there.
Regular breaks are important for recharging your batteries. Also, giving yourself the time to think about problems can dramatically improve your performance. Half-knowing this, we set up a recreation area at our first office building in Oradea.After the massive success of one foosball table, we added a ping-pong one. During lunch breaks, our colleagues constantly practice their swing and challenge each other to see who’s best. As our team increased, we added more tables so everyone can get a chance to become the ultimate Qubiz ping-pong champion.Also, we regularly host internal, yet friendly, ping-pong championships to decide officially who goes into the Qubiz hall of fame.
Getting together for a good time is what matters. Since the weather was good and we have a nice backyard at our office in Cluj, we put together a little barbeque one day, after work. While the food was cooking, we shared some beers, swapped stories and shot some hoops. As everyone had a good time, we made this a thing for our office in Cluj-Napoca.
We always enjoy a good challenge, we’re not fans of the comfort zone. And this is just what the first Qubiz internal hackathon turned out to be: an awesome challenge.We had the first Qubiz Hackathon from two locations: our office in Oradea and from the one in Cluj-Napoca, over one day. We started early in the morning (8 a.m.) until late at night.Overall, 30 colleagues working in 7 teams registered for the Hackathon. Check out the hackathon article to see what they built!Also, we decided that we can spare the prizes to help others, less fortunate and in need. So, we extended the theme beyond the event and donated all the prize money (10000RON) to NGOs the winners cared most about.