After two years of abstinence, this year's company outing took us back to our almost second home, Spiekeroog. A first adventurous vanguard already started the day before and covered the way to the East Frisian North Sea island on foot in beautiful sunshine. With the right timing and the appropriate knowledge of the place and the tidal flats, this is possible: the path led the twenty or so intrepid colleagues through knee-deep mudflats, waist-deep water, but also over pleasantly walking mixed mudflats, virtually at eye level with shore crab & co.

The remaining seventy or so colleagues made themselves more comfortable and followed the next day by bus, ferry and on foot to Haus Sturmeck. For lunch we had couscous salad and watermelon, prepared in advance by our Oldenburg chef, on the sunny terrace: the shortage of catering-personnel has not stopped on the island either.

Afterwards, our bosses welcomed us and got us in the mood for the following presentations of the different working groups. These served to introduce teams and work content as well as to exchange information about organisation and working methods. In short: What does the colleague do whom I usually only see at lunch...?

After a delicious dinner and an insight into "emsys backstage" for the new colleagues, the first day ended chilling on the beach with a perfect sunset.

The next morning, after breakfast, we found ourselves back there for "emsys on the beach". The colorful palette ranged from beach volleyball, "ball hitting", a for the island typical ball game, and boule games to frisbee, juggling and swimming, to yoga and amusing partner exercises.

Contrary to what we had hoped for, the weather forecast of our in-house experts unfortunately came true, so the fish sandwiches, pizza and drinks weren't delivered to the beach as planned, but to a rainproof place. We spontaneously outsmarted the continuous rain that then set in with an earlier ferry and regretted a little that the sandcastle contest also remained buried in the sand...

The Fridays for Future movement has called for a global climate strike today. Of course, the emsys folks are immediately joining #AllefürsKlima!

Many of our colleagues left for the Oldenburg Pferdemarkt at noon today to take part in the strike. However, some employees were not available today, as they are doing their bit for the climate change at their desks, so our managing directors made up for it in the form of a generous donation to Fridaysforfuture Oldenburg. In addition, the most committed among us organised a banner campaign for our building in a flash, so that all emsys people could show their #solidarity.

Another construction site? Some people throw their hands up in horror, but we are actually pleased that the city of Oldenburg is moving in with heavy equipment. Oskar-Homt-Straße was a rather neglected gravel road before we became the only resident. Now the opportunity is being taken to not only repair the surface, but to expand the road right away.

One could already go into raptures when curbs are set, but we are especially looking forward to paved green islands. Our guests, who for well-known reasons have not been very numerous in recent months, will certainly appreciate the new parking spaces. In short: even if we now have to get to work via beaten tracks for a few weeks, we will soon be first-class connected to the outside world.

One of our most popular employees recently got reinforcement. Since the end of the Lockdown, the number of colleagues present has increased significantly, so the motivational officer simply could no longer do his job alone. So we got ourselves a second coffee machine.

With one fully automatic machine on the first floor and one on the second floor, we are now also fail-safe in terms of caffeine supply. Of course, our colleagues upstairs are also happy that they no longer have to walk up the stairs with the hot products. In short: whether cappuccino or espresso lovers, work can go on.

Three months of hard work behind our building, Mother Nature's final contribution and we now have a wonderful garden area to relax in.

We now spend our lunch breaks and many a meeting on the terrace or behind the pond. Our colleagues from the kitchen eagerly tend their herb patch, and when colleagues' children drop by, they also like to harvest the currant bush. The company's own loose beach volleyball team competes every Monday on the sand heated by our solar system, and sometimes treats itself to an extra workout when the weather is good. Those who only have a few minutes to spare for a match, just find a partner for table tennis. That's the way to endure the summer. And in case anyone is still missing something: the swings and horizontal bars have already been ordered.

Many colleagues have been in the home office for months and the lockdown is becoming more and more uncomfortable for everyone as time goes by. So that no one feels abandoned, our bosses have decided to give the staff a Corona care package.

With soap, toys, sports equipment, nerve food and other gifts, the package is filled to the brim to brighten up the current everyday life. On top of that, some Oldenburg businesses are very happy to be supported during this time. Continue to come through the lockdown well!

The days are getting warmer, the sun is beaming its brightest smile and colleagues are cycling to work at a comfortable 40 km/h.... That's right, because many employees have treated themselves to a new bicycle with company support.

It doesn't matter whether it's a pedelec, e-bike, racing bike or cargo bike: emsys takes over a leasing contract for the bike and offsets the instalments against the salary. Thanks to tax benefits, the colleagues save a quarter of the purchase price. The offer has been in place for about half a year and already every seventh emsys employee has treated himself to an upgrade to a faster bike.

On the emsys-owned volleyball court they are already digging! Unfortunately, at the moment only with heavy equipment, but hopefully in the summer can be played there in the sand.

The excavators are now first making tabula rasa with the whole area, so that in the course of spring a pretty garden can be created around our building. There will be some seating for breaks and meetings, a fire pit, lots of useful and ornamental plants and of course the volleyball court. We are all very excited and looking forward to summer at the pond.

In times of Corona, the regular board game evenings at emsys have unfortunately been suspended for the time being. But our colleagues are used to making the best of the circumstances via software: We have recently started playing Among Us.

Each player plays his or her part in completing tasks on a spaceship. However, two randomly selected players are not real crew members but secret saboteurs. Following the principle of the well-known "Werewolves" game, but distanced at their own computers, the emsys colleagues have thus already spent several hours with suspicions and clarifications.

The fact that emsys is always under power is nothing new. What is new, however, is that the electricity flows from the roof into the employees' cars.

The output of our solar plant is now being tapped in the car park. One of the two charging columns is already hard at work, supplying three of our colleagues' cars with fresh green electricity. So we have become one step greener again.

No one who knows how much the emsys folk love their bikes will be surprised that an extra portion of heart and soul went into the construction of our bike shelter. Just in time for autumn, our bikes got a new home.

With lots of wood in the style of our building and with an angular design, the carpenters have built us a befitting shelter. Under the 12x8 metre roof, all bicycles find a dry place even after the home office phase. If one of them should break down, it can be repaired in the workshop in the small shed. Our bicycle lovers now know that their treasures are well looked after.

The current situation requires alternative ways of meeting. Instead of a Christmas party, we have been busy making gifts and thus forging quite unexpected bonds.

With a lot of energy, we will soon be heading into the New Year. We wish all readers a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!