At Semaphore, our first core value is simple yet powerful (and not easy to do as a remote-first company): Prioritize Connection. We believe establishing meaningful connections with our colleagues and customers is the necessary foundation required for us to achieve our mission of improving human health and advancing scientific discovery across the globe. That’s why we invest in bringing our distributed team together in person every year.

This June, we gathered in our founding city of Victoria, BC, for our annual onsite. Over three focused days, we hosted team and cross-functional working sessions, including an all-hands symposium on AI in the Workplace. We capped things off with a lively scavenger hunt through the city and a team social. The week was productive and energizing, reminding us of the ‘why’ behind our core values, and this was reaffirmed through team member feedback.

The Impact of our Annual Onsite
‍

After every on-site, we run a retrospective survey to gather feedback on what worked, what didn’t, and what we can adjust for next time. This year, the responses were clear and encouraging: the highlight of the week wasn’t the scavenger hunt or the social (though both were excellent), it was the in-person team working sessions.

‍

Here’s how some of our team described the value from the onsite:

• “Our team spent three and a half hours discussing a complex issue. I doubt that time could have been spent half as efficiently remotely.”
  
• “Besides the obvious one of human connection, the biggest value is having unplanned conversations that produce a big impact.”
  
• “It's always good to see each other's faces in real time! The social events both during and outside the onsite help with creating and maintaining solid relationships.”
  
• “It's just so much easier to interact and get to know people better. I feel I grew closer to some of my teammates.”
  
• “It's a completely different thing to meet someone in person than it is to see their head in a Google meeting online. I find that extremely valuable.”

From a People and Culture perspective, all this feedback matters and signals that we are onto something. It shows that our core values and mission are being reflected in our people. It also confirms that when designed with intention, in-person time delivers a strong ROI for a remote-first company while also being a genuine perk valued by our team.

Other Ways We Prioritize Connection

‍

While our annual onsite is a powerful expression of our values in action, prioritizing connection must be a consistent practice. Here are a few other ways we build opportunities for connection into our everyday culture:

• WFH Coffee-Time Benefit: Each week, team members can book time to meet for coffee or lunch with a colleague(s) - no work talk required. It’s our way of recreating the spontaneous, social moments that naturally happen in an office.
• Fun Slack Channels: From food and pets to our “WFH Vibrancy” space, we encourage channels that bring life and personality into our virtual workplace. These lighthearted touchpoints give us ways to share more of ourselves and learn about each other.
• ‍Checking In: We normalize pausing at the start of meetings to check in. Even if it is just a general “How are you? How was your weekend?” These small moments of care help us build stronger working relationships.