In episode 2 of Podcast Awesome, we catch up with members of the Font Awesome team to talk about our bi-annual company meetups, which are affectionately called The Snuggle. We talk about the purpose and origin of The Snuggle and the reason for its ridiculous name.
We used to cuddle at the Cape, now we snuggle in Bentonville.
It’s a funny story, really. In the early days of Font Awesome, Dave, Travis, Rob, and Brian used to meet up in Cape Cod back when they used to call their in-person meet-ups “Cape Cuddles.” Well, we’ve matured since then — mentally and numerically (well, maybe not mentally), and the company meet-ups now take place at our home office in Bentonville, Arkansas.
But why the ridiculous name? To make fun of businessing to begin with. Yes, of course it should be called the “quarterly sync” but that just wouldn’t be any fun. No, there isn’t any actual snuggling that happens — that’d be weird. It’s just a fun, lighthearted way for us to poke fun at ourselves, and not take things so seriously, which helps us keep focused on what’s important for the week. Hanging out.
Yes, we do the businessing, but it’s more about the nerding (out).
The Snuggle is a week-long meet-up that helps us make up for those water-cooler moments we miss throughout the year. No, we don’t do “trust fall exercises.” But we do eat BBQ, go to the movies, play DnD, and sit around the fire pit. Why? Because company culture isn’t just about getting things done. It’s about the people and what they bring with them — like hobbies — that doesn’t have anything to do with work. We believe this is where the richness and depth of a company’s culture comes from. And when there’s creativity and openness to learning in the air, it spills over into the creativity of our day-to-day work, too.
But aren’t there disadvantages to remote work?
Well, sure. There’re always tradeoffs. No work philosophy is without its drawbacks. In fact, our very own Principal Software Engineer, Rob Madole, discusses that very topic. Let’s be honest, though. Rob was initially annoyed by the lack of productivity the Snuggle caused. But he eventually came around to believe in the value Dave put on in-person gatherings, as they helped to strengthen relationships among the team. Now Rob is as likely to be found with a lampshade on his head as anyone else on the team.
So clearly, the Snuggle is about as serious as its name.
And yet the effect is that it helps build goodwill and trust among the Font Awesome team so we can work together better. While the remote vs. in-office work debate will likely continue, Font Awesome has found a way to make the best of both worlds. And once you start working remotely, you may never want to go back to the office again.
While we are highly opinionated at Font Awesome, we always want to avoid being prescriptive. This cadence is what works best for us. What works best at your company? We’d love to hear from you on the socials! In the meantime, check out episode 2!