Tech firm takes hundreds of workers to Bali for global get-together

Headquartered in Sydney, data centre platform Airtrunk recently brought staff from across the Asia-Pacific and Japan to Bali, Indonesia for its annual AirTruck Connect Event.

With the theme “Think Differently,” the September event brought together 344 employees to experience “inspirational guest speakers, a range of activities, and opportunities to share,” according to 7news.com.au, and to “connect, collaborate and celebrate.”

“Team culture is key to our success. By harnessing our collective talents, we will continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible, turning challenges into extraordinary results,” said Airtrunk Chief People Officer Emma Spence, at the event.

The company was founded in Australia in 2015 and operates 11 data centres across seven cities and five markets including Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. It is the region’s largest data centre company, outside of China, said 7news.com.au.

Flexibility versus office mandate

In addition to the offsite event, he tech firm is known for giving employees flexibility when it comes to their work and also offers additional leave called “recharge days.”

 This is in contrast to firms such as Amazon, which is facing backlash from employees over the company's mandate to work five days a week starting next year.

Dell Technologies is also expecting some members of its global sales team to start reporting to the office five days a week by the end of September, according to reports.

Employers should consider a solution that strays away from the one-size-fits-all approach, according to Angela Knox, a professor of management at the University of Sydney Business School, in the 7news.com.au article.

“It’s not unreasonable to expect staff to come into the office for some activities and meetings but there is insufficient justification for a full return to the office ... being visible does not mean being productive,” said Knox.