3 days. 450 Greenstep employees. 2400 crayfish. Those were the ingredients for an unforgettable weekend! In September 2023, we organized a long-awaited staff trip to Levi. Greenstep employees from Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Estonia headed to the stunning landscapes of Lapland for the weekend.
The newest Greenstepers have heard stories and legends about Greenstep's crayfish parties and staff trips from colleagues who have been with the company longer. The tradition of Greenstep's crayfish parties dates back to the very beginning of the company, when Tore and Michaela Teir opened their home to employees for a celebration. As the number of people attending grew each year, the parties moved from indoors to outdoors, but the idea of bringing all Greenstepers together remained.
In 2020, the world closed down due to the pandemic, which also meant the removal of crayfish parties from the annual event calendar. Now, three years later, the time was right to gather the whole gang again. As the number of employees has grown happily in recent years, we decided to head towards Tore and Michaela's "home away from home," Levi.
As you might expect, getting several hundred people to the same place for a weekend is not a simple task, especially when a large part of them are coming from outside Finland. Our incredible people team worked hard before the trip to get everything organized, and the result was, of course, top-notch.
Expectations were high before the trip
The journey to Levi started for some on Thursday and for others early on Friday morning. The atmosphere on the way was expectant.
"It's really great that we're having this kind of event where hundreds of people from all over the Nordic countries are coming. I haven't heard of similar events before, so it's completely unique in every way," said Joonas from the Kuopio office and continued:
"It's nice to meet people from other Greenstep countries and of course from other cities in Finland. Opportunities like this don't come often, so it's sure to be an interesting trip. I'm probably most excited about the crayfish party because I've never been to one before."
On Friday, people gradually arrived at the Panorama Hotel in Levi. In the afternoon, it was time for various activities, and everyone could choose their favorite. The activities included mountain biking, sauna with a jacuzzi, yoga, and bowling. At the end of the day, we enjoyed dinner and listened to amazing music performances.
Levi summit was conquered with teamwork
On Saturday, the whole group gathered in the auditorium after breakfast, where Tore told the inspiring growth story of Greenstep. After that, we divided into groups whose goal was to head together towards the top of Levi, while also completing team tasks. "Take a picture that represents Greenstep's next step," "play a rock-paper-scissors tournament," "come up with a new service for Greenstep," and other fun tasks were completed along the way. After the climb, we enjoyed lunch at the top of Levi at the Tuikku restaurant.
The activity and inspiring growth story raised team spirit and inspired.
"Wow, what a growth story behind Greenstep! I hadn't heard of it before. And how fun it was to get to know Greenstepers from different cities and countries in the team task. Good team spirit and a can-do attitude were found immediately, and we had a really nice time together. Even the gray weather couldn't wipe the smile off our faces."
Legendary crayfish party crowned the trip
Saturday night and the whole trip culminated in the long-awaited crayfish party. When we arrived at the party venue, the tables were adorned with 2400 crayfish brought from Kemiö. The ceremony was led by an amazing toastmaster, and the party progressed with lively singing, fun performances, and of course, delicious food.
To end the celebration, we enjoyed live music as Tore had put together a talented band of Greenstepers.
"One of the best moments of the trip was seeing the company's own band playing Coldplay's Viva la Vida, and the whole group joined in singing. It was an amazing feeling of community!" recalled one Greenstep employee.
On Sunday, it was time to head back home. The atmosphere after the trip was high:
"I'm so proud to be a Greensteper! I'm amazed by the whole trip to Levi and that I get to be a part of such a great company. Amazing values, a story behind it, and incredible growth! And what an impressive group of people Greenstep is. So talented, creative, caring, versatile, and all-around awesome people. A big skål to all Greenstepers!" rejoiced a Greensteper from Norway.
Published 01.12.2023