With the difficult times we’re all facing at the moment staying connected has never been more important. Our team has been self-isolating like many others and working from home since March to help do our part. But with the days all melting into one, no one is immune to feeling a bit down. This is why our PeopleOps team and other team members have come up with fun activities where the team can still connect and have fun. Here’s a look at some of the few things Instabug did while at home.
Get to know each other better
Web series
One of our first initiatives was a weekly video call series where the BugSquad got to learn more about a team member. “Get to know more about the BugSquad” was a huge success with questions of all kinds being asked to our different members.
The baby pic day
One clever member of the BugSquad got hold of a baby pics from the entire team and had everyone guessing the team member. An otherwise quiet Tuesday led to one of the biggest Slack threads in the company’s history with everyone getting involved and having an amazing time.
Staying healthy
Quarantine yoga
With everyone moving around a lot less, indulging in unhealthy habits can happen easily. One of the perks of having a diverse BugSquad is having our very own Yogi. The team tried their hand at finding their center with some mixed results. It was still a great time trying to stretch those barely used muscles.
Salad making contest
The health drive didn't stop there. To complement the exercise the BugSquad was challenged to make the best salads they could and share the results. There were some very creative entries (including a pizza!), but in the end, a winner was crowned with an amazing salad consisting of lettuce, green apple, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, raw almonds, and halloumi cheese.
Game night specials
Emoji charades!
The goto game for a quick fun time with a group of people translated well onto the digital space. Coordinated by our resident film experts, the game was simple, guess the movie based on the emojis. Everything was covered from big blockbuster movies to more recent Egyptian movies and classic Egyptian movies were a big hit, of course. See if you can guess a few:
🐕⬆️🔥
🙎♂️🤝🙎♂️👋
🕶⚫️
🕺🚕
🏃♂️👹
Online Pictionary (Gartic.io)
Charades wasn’t the only classic game we enjoyed. Using Gartic.io and hopping on a conference call the BugSquad battled for points by seeing who can draw and guess the best. A drama-filled evening like any good game night due to some selective refereeing led to some great fun.
Movie night
Speaking of goto fun group activities, our team organized a Netflix Party watch along. Netflixing is an integral part of the BugHQ, so being able to watch a movie together was a really fun time. The movie of choice was Rango, which we definitely recommend for any chameleon fans out there.
Stay at home games
Puzzle challenge
Solving puzzles has been a very popular quarantine past-time worldwide. The team was challenged to solve the biggest puzzles they could get their hands on and share the results. Some of them turned out great but there was one winner in the end.
Origami challenge
Learning a new skill and hobby is a great way to help stay motivated while in self-isolation. The BugSquad were challenged to try their hand out at origami and see the best creations they could come up with. This resulted in some beautiful creations that came about as well as a new skill that a lot of people learned.
What happened when Ramadan rolled in?
InstaFit and Workout challenges
Staying at home every day and especially with the food and desserts that come Ramadan can definitely lead to a LOT of eating. The PeopleOps team organized two challenges with huge rewards to encourage the BugSquad to stay healthy. The InstaFit challenge encouraged the team to lose weight, while the workout challenge encouraged the team to burn as many calories as possible.
Ramadan riddles (fawazeer)
The fun and games didn’t stop as well. The classic Ramadan riddles (fawazeer) came back this year with Instabug related riddles for the team to answer. And the person to answer all five the fastest would receive a prize. The BugSquad performed some mental gymnastics that resulted in some hilarious answers but in the end, a victor was crowned.
Work hard, play hard
We are always aiming to keep the BugSquad engaged whether in good times or tough times. As firm believers of Work Hard Play Hard being away from each other won't stop us from sharing the best of times. It's important to help each other stay healthy, stay positive, and stay together.
