Have you ever wanted to sit with other people in the company and learn about what they do? Here’s your chance!
What is Camp CoLo?
Short for Camp Co-Location, Camp CoLo is an idea that was brought up in a Culture Connection as a way to help break down departmental silos and help people engage across the departments. (Culture Connections are facilitated by our Culture Team to gather your feedback and ideas about our culture.)
The concept is simple. Six people including camp counselors from different areas of the company will temporarily relocate and work alongside each other for a week. Participants will do their regular work, with breaks throughout the week to learn and share about the different departments represented – as well as a few breaks for some camp activities!
Our TX pilot camp will run the week of October 22. Two camp counselors Maria McLendon and Senait Menghes from the Culture Team will host the camp.
Camp Requirements
Location
Texas campus is having a CoLo camp following the successful CoLo pilot on the Vermont campus this past August. If all goes well, both campuses will continue hosting camps – we may even be able to have cross-campus camps.
Availability
You must be available October 22-26.
Technology
The TX camp location will be the 8th floor Frontier where five computers and phones are available.
Director-Level Cutoff
You must be at a director level or below to participate in the pilot.
Manager Approval
Please talk with your manager before requesting participation – manager approval is required.
A Sense of Curiosity (and Humor)
What to Expect
Change of Scenery
Participants in Camp CoLo will still perform their normal jobs and attend scheduled meetings, but instead of sitting at your desk, your home base for the week will be a “camp” location in the building. And yes, it’s casual dress all week at camp!
Group Interaction
In addition to your normal work activities, you’ll participate in group activities that introduce you to other departments. You can also expect some “camp” activities. The goal is to provide participants with the opportunity to get to know a cross section of people in the company and better understand what they do.
Pack Light
The most important thing to pack for Camp CoLo is an open mind and a desire to engage with new people and new ideas.
How to Participate
To request participation, simply email CampCoLo@NationalLife.com and include your name, department, manager’s name, and any other technology support beside computer and phone is needed.
We’ll choose a cross-section of people to participate – no more than 1 person from each department. Clearly, we won’t be able to include everyone in a 6-person pilot, but we’re hoping that a successful pilot will lead to a permanent program, in which case we’ll try to eventually accommodate every participation request.
Questions? Contact CampCoLo@NationalLife.com.