By
Rita
Mendes
Head of people, Alts Digital
Rita Mendes returns to iGBA to emphasise the importance of the company retreat for a fully remote iGaming affiliate. The head of people at Alts Digital covers everything from why its key not to make attendance mandatory to discovering the people behind the screen.
When your team is fully remote, distance just becomes part of how things work. Everyone's in different countries, different time zones and working from their own homes. At Alts Digital, that's us: people spread across Europe, Brazil, and India, building products in iGaming and Fintech.
We almost never meet in person. Which is exactly why our yearly workation, when we actually get everyone together, has become such an important moment for us.
The thing you lose when working remotely
Remote work is great for flexibility. But it takes away something you don't realise you need until it's gone: spontaneity.
When your team is distributed, every conversation has a reason. A meeting. An update. A question. What you lose are the unplanned moments: the five-minute chat before a call starts, the random laugh at someone's desk, the "hey, by the way..." that turns into solving a real problem.
Workations bring that back. People reconnect as actual people, not just voices on a call. That makes a real difference when everyone goes back to working remotely.
What we changed this year
This year, we did something different. Instead of one big company retreat, we ran three smaller workations, each focused on one of our main business areas.
People reconnect as actual people, not just voices on a call. That makes a real difference when everyone goes back to working remotely
It wasn't just about logistics. We wanted to see what happens when teams that normally work together online get a few days to actually sit together, talk strategy, eat meals, and just talk.
The results were powerful. The focus and understanding we saw in each group was something you just can't replicate online. Each team could dig into their specific challenges without getting sidetracked by topics that didn't matter to them.
It's not just a work trip
We always pick quiet, comfortable places, usually somewhere in nature, away from cities. Somewhere that feels almost like home. The environment matters more than you'd think. It changes how people interact: more relaxed, less formal, more open.
We try to balance work with connection. There are a few structured sessions that actually add value, but we try not to fall into the trap of scheduling every hour.
People don't bond through back-to-back workshops or polished presentations. They bond over coffee, on a walk, during a conversation that just happens. So we make sure there's room for that.
From working in people and culture, I've learned that the best retreats feel unforced. You need some structure, sure. But you also need freedom, for people to choose how they spend their time, to recharge, to connect in whatever way works for them.
Designing with intention
Everyone says retreats are important. That's easy to say. But not every retreat actually has a purpose.
We try to balance work with connection. There are a few structured sessions that actually add value, but we try not to fall into the trap of scheduling every hour
Some companies organise them just to check a box: "We did something for culture." That's not enough. A good retreat should have a clear goal: strengthen trust, create shared understanding and help people feel more connected to the company and each other.
At Alts, our retreats aren't mandatory. Especially for people travelling long distances, we want them to come because they want to, not because they have to. That's our philosophy: maximum flexibility, maximum responsibility.
The hidden value
Something else happens during these days that you can't really plan: people discover their colleagues are actual humans.
There's the data analyst who turns out to be an amazing cook, the content writer who knows random facts about clocks and the developer who loves to talk about plants. These moments, small, human, unexpected, are what make remote work sustainable long-term. They remind you that you're more than Slack or Teams avatars in different time zones: you're a team.
Always evolving
Every year, we adjust the format. Test new things, drop what doesn't work, keep what does.
Something else happens during these days that you can't really plan: people discover their colleagues are actual humans
It's never perfect. There are always surprises, last-minute changes and things that don't go as planned. But that's part of the adventure. What matters isn't the schedule, it's the intention behind it.
Final thought
For remote companies, in-person time is rare and precious. It's a kind of glue that holds culture together.
If you design these moments with care, retreats become more than an annual event. They become part of how your company works, a reset that reminds everyone why they're here and who they're building with.
At Alts Digital, that's what workation means to us. It's where distance turns back into connection.
Rita
Mendes
Head of people, Alts Digital