Care-rousell: Tech Detox Edition

10 community-focused activities, over 6 days, involving 131 Carousell staff.

Working at Carousell means that we spend long hours seated in front of our laptop and mobile phone screens. There’s a lot of work to create a product that will inspire everyone in the world to start selling.

But as much as we’re glued to our technology, we also recognise the importance of leading active lifestyles (healthy body, healthy mind, and a healthy soul — they say). So, we have various initiatives in place, which encourage us to keep our bodies in good shape.

One of these initiatives is the ‘Tech Detox’.

Tech Detox has been a long standing Carousell tradition, where we encourage the entire Carousell family to unplug from our devices and head outdoors to participate in team-building activities. In the past, we have gone mass cycling, competed in bowling, learnt about Singapore’s heritage through an outdoor treasure hunt, and bounced on trampolines to our heart’s content.

This quarter, we’ve decided to refresh our approach in organising the Tech Detox to make it even more meaningful, by infusing elements of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into our activities.

CSR has always been core to our identity as a community-focused classifieds platforms. Although we are a relatively young company 5 years of age, we have engaged in several CSR activities in the past.

One of our more memorable experiences was organising a Pet Adoption Event in 2015. We partnered with several animal shelters, and had Carousellers set up stalls selling accessories for pets.

Caroufam helping out at the SPCA during the latest Tech Detox.

Combining our CSR initiatives with our quarterly Tech Detox, in what we’d eventually call ‘Care-ousell Week’ saw ba packed week with various activities scheduled.

We partnered with six different non-profit organisations, where our teammates could sign up for a host of activities that interested them and fit their schedules. These activities ranged from packing food, assisting the SPCA, and even accompanying the elderly to play mahjong. We had something for everyone to participate in.

Here are some photos of our Caroufam in action, and hear what they thought of the whole experience!

“We participated in morning exercise with rehabilitating patients at Bright Vision Hospital. It was meaningful to join in the fun and we hope we brought a little more joy to their weekly routines!”

“We can go fast alone, but we can go far together. We did not realize how much effort is put into just preparing food at the food bank. It doesn’t just stop from dropping off the food, but there are still people who need to unpack, QC and pack it back again! There were never-ending stacks of boxes we had to tend to, but with our huge team of 21, WE DID IT!”

“The day spent at Ground Up Initiative taught us to be more resourceful and served as a reminder that everyone’s efforts, no matter how small, is valuable in working towards a common goal”

No event is successful without its people and throughout the week, we saw how the CarouFam came together, spending quality and meaningful time with the various organisations and taking a break from tech.

To our next Tech-Detox adventure!

Cowritten by Ridza and Tse Lyn