I’d say that there have been two stand-out highlights so far…
Our first whole-team event (Manchester and Farnborough); a strategy day in Warwick followed by team-building cocktail making and dinner. This was our first real chance to get to know everyone in the Manchester team and, whilst it could have felt awkward, everyone really put the effort in and used it as an opportunity to talk to someone they wouldn’t normally have much interaction with. The senior management team really encourage us to be sociable so having the time and space to get to know each other really does help to strengthen working relationships.
The second highlight was our charity walk along the Jurassic Coast. I’ve experienced charity initiatives in previous jobs that felt more like a PR stunt for social media. But Datum actively encourages us to take part in some form of fundraising for the company’s chosen charity (or one chosen by us) and actively supports us whilst we do it. There has a been a real sense of camaraderie in our support of the Samaritans this year; in addition to our Jurassic Coast walk we are taking part in the ‘Samarathon’ (walking or jogging 26.2 miles during July) and most of the team are getting involved. My mum and sister are both volunteers for the Samaritans so I’m really pleased it’s a charity we are supporting – we are already planning our next big charity challenge for 2024.