My previous employer brought everyone to town for a week with only two days counting g toward the retreat. I really loved the social aspect of it, getting to know people from other states whose role meant I’d never really interacted with them. I found out a guy who I’d thought of as a liability was actually a really great guy. Food and drinks as a team ftw. (We were a ~25 person team; our small size was a major contributing factor.)
Exactly, this can definitely work under the right conditions and unlike the weekly hybrid model, you don't actually have to live 1-2 hours from where you work.
