The new normal has encouraged organizations to create seamless and connected work-from-home infrastructure to provide flexibility to the employees and support them through unprecedented times. In the last two years, working from home has become a primary part of everyone’s life. While the digital infrastructure has evolved significantly to accommodate an impeccable environment for work, the impact on team members from isolation within their homes has been detrimental. It has been observed that with the passage of time the initial excitement of working from home has given way to monotony, and people have begun operating in silos, caught up in a mind-numbing routine that has gravely impacted their morale and enthusiasm across organizations. Sagorika Goswami, VP Human Resources, INSYNC, said, “After the covid period of isolation and anxiety, when we started calling our employees back to the office for setting up a hybrid work model, we realized that the personal touch and team cohesiveness was missing. That was the time when we realized the need to address this issue innovatively and introduced the concept of team workation to infuse fresh energy, enthusiasm and team bonding.”
What is a Workation?
Workation or Workcation has become the new travel buzzword for working individuals. It is a by-product of remote work systems, where employees can work from anywhere in the world that has a fast internet connection, instead of working from the confines of a designated place. Traditionally, the concept of working while on vacation was frowned upon as it clouded the distinction between work and leisure, diminishing their individual values. In the new normal, where people are working from home anyway, workation is more about striking the balance between work and leisure and is rightly becoming a very lucrative prospect.
Almost the entire team at INSYNC has recently been to their first-ever workation to North Bengal, hosted by INSPIRIA KNOWLEDGE CAMPUS and has collectively been reaping the benefits ever since. Inspiria Knowledge Campus has brought forward a catalog of 1001 Things to do in North Bengal, fabulous places to visit and cool facts about North-East India, and has been a major inspiration for us to explore the unexplored places. Though there are plenty of workation destinations available in India, what sets North Bengal apart is its unplumbed territory that has the right amount of adventure offered by the hills, rivers, waterfalls, forest, and the perfect amount of hospitality extended by InHub, at Inspiria Knowledge Campus.
About InHub
InHub is an incubation center, a co-working space, and INSYNC’s favorite workation destination that connects Startups, Corporates, Organizations, and Institutions!
It aims at fostering an entrepreneurial mindset among the young minds, as well as encouraging existing young entrepreneurs to hone their skills further so that they can become better problem solvers. It is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas with all the amenities of a business. Whatever needs may arise, whether they are for design, functionality, ambiance, or location, Inhub undoubtedly surpasses them all.
INSYNC x INHUB Workation
The first-ever team to travel to InHuB from INSYNC was the Business Development team. Their experience and positive feedback have been a major motivating factor for other teams at INSYNC to embark on the Workation Journey and find the perfect blend between productivity and leisure.
INSYNC x InHub – Workation with Team | Innovation Hub @Inspiria
Where Work Meets Fun – Workation!
To bring fruition to Workation, INSYNC divided its employees into teams of 10 – 12 people approximately. The teams traveled to Inspiria Knowledge Campus, a lush green college campus in Siliguri and spent a wonderful week amidst nature, away from the hustle of the city.
Sagorika, VP HR, INSYNC, says, “We have had 8 team workations within the last 8 months and the feedback from the teams has been overwhelmingly positive. We intend to keep working on this and enhance the experience of this initiative”
Team INSYNC had the most wholesome and unique experience at InHub. During office hours they could utilize the state-of-the-art infrastructure at InHub, bond with their team members and build interpersonal relationships. Whereas, after office hours they had the entire college campus to themselves to explore, play fun games with the team, go on walks, use the gym or visit nearby landmarks. Additionally, the teams got a chance to interact with the faculty as well as the students of Inspiria, attend their cultural programs and participate in co-curricular activities.
Our people say that it has been a golden opportunity for them to revisit and relive their college days. For instance, Masi Huzzaman says, “It felt like I was back in my college days from 4 years ago”; and Ambor says, “I thoroughly enjoyed Campus hopping, playing cricket late at night, and attending the college events just like I used to in my college days.”
Besides their impeccable hospitality, serene ambience, futuristic infrastructure and delicious food, Inspiria has always gone to elaborate lengths to curate unique experiences for the visiting teams. The days were packed with fun-filled activities like wine tasting, tea tasting, chocolate making, cookie baking, and photography sessions along with internal college events like trade fairs and cultural events. This has aptly made Inspiria, INSYNC’s favorite workation destination.
Soubhik says, “… specifically the wine tasting was my favorite! Also, I really enjoyed playing UNO with the team, after office.” Arindam says, “...the cross-fit gym accessories were superb!”, and Subhajit cherished, “Regular morning walks from Inspiria to Montana Vista”.
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Somdutta and Sourav says, “…the wine tasting session, Chocolate making session, and loved playing basketball, cricket, and many more fun games”; and Madhubanti says, “I really loved attending the event organized by students for Bengali New Year. The décor and food were to die for!”
We conducted a short survey to get a deep understanding of how the teams felt, and the responses have been heartwarming. The InHub Infrastructure along with its hospitality and lodging facilities received 100% appreciation and love from the employees. To top it all, team INSYNC greatly valued the location of InHub and appreciated how close they were to nature, the greenery, the picturesque view of the mountains against the clear blue sky and the serenity of the work environment.
Ratnadeep says, “I Loved the work environment and cherished every bit of nature!”; Arindam says, “Absolutely loved the lush green campus, the freshness of the air, and the InHub atmosphere…would love to visit again!”; and Subhasish says, “The view of the mountain from InHub was phenomenal!”
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Explore the Unexplored – North Bengal
Just when we thought that the workation could not get any better, the weekend arrived with its own set of adventures. Beautiful holiday destinations in the lap of the Himalayas were just a few hour’s distance from Siliguri. Each team got to choose their holiday destination at breathtakingly beautiful yet offbeat places like Lechajagat which is known for its beauty and wilderness, Chota Mangwa an unexplored destination for nature lovers, Sittong famous for its mesmerizing orange orchards, and Pelling renowned for the second-highest suspension bridge in Asia. The tours were not only confined to India, but they spread their wings to places situated on the border of India and Nepal, like Tumling, which is known for the breathtaking view of The Sleeping Buddha in the Kanchenjunga range, and the famous Pashupati market.
The teams visited viewpoints like Mirik, Dudhia, Tingling, followed by mammoth tea estates like Sourenee tea estate, Gopaldhara tea estate, discovered hidden gems like Jorpokhri, Lamahatta, Lebong, Dawaipani, and paid their visit to historic places like Darjeeling known as the Queen of Hills, and Ghum Railway Station, India’s highest railway station. Last but not the least, the teams ventured into the forests of Dooars, and went river rafting at Tribeni River Camp.
Team Bonding – The Essence of Workation
This might sound cliché but, Teamwork makes the dream work!
INSYNC is growing and our strength has increased by almost 40 percent in the last 2 years. The hybrid work module is working wonders for us but despite all the advantages, a slight gap arising from the lack of human interaction always prevails. INSYNC and InHub’s joined initiative of workation has not only addressed this issue efficiently but has also emerged as a wonderful remedy for the years to come. Most of us testify to the fact that team bonding has been unimaginably beautiful. It not only acted as an ice breaker for the new joiners but also gave each one the opportunity to understand one another better.
Swagata says, “The most memorable experience was working in InHub with my team!”; Nayonika says, “it helped me bond with my team members, especially with the seniors”; Sourav says, “I loved spending the evenings at Springbrook homestay with the team.”; Ambor says considering the post-pandemic era, “... really felt good working and collaborating with the entire team once again”; lastly Saikat says, “I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten this opportunity to work with his amazing teammates!”
Team bonding not only boosts productivity but also positively influences our mental health and instills a sense of belongingness in us. It teaches us to resonate with others, inculcate empathy, help us collaborate better, be a team player and evoke our creativity and imagination.
Like Atul Gupta, CEO, INSYNC, says, “When a team comes together in a holiday setup and work together, stay together for a week, the kind of bonding and productivity is unimaginable!”
It is with immense pride we say that 100% of the employees who went on a workation responded, YES, when we asked them if they would like to visit again. Yayy!
Great News – Live the Dream Now!
InHub, Inspiria Knowledge Campus has now opened its hospitable doors to the world. If you are a team of 10 – 20 people seeking a unique Workation opportunity, Inspiria has got you covered. Their state-of-the-art infrastructure for work, delicious food, and comfortable lodging encourages you to travel hassle-free from any part of the world and live the life of your dreams. For more information head on to InHub.
See you soon, till then stay safe.
WORK. SAVE. TRAVEL. REPEAT.
