Colleagues at SQW all look forward to the
… drumroll please…
AWAY DAY!
SQW’s Away Day is an opportunity for staff from across our offices to meet and engage in discussions about the future direction of the company, topics affecting the socio-economic landscape, and, of course, enjoy some team building fun! We have been to the city centres of Birmingham and Leeds in recent years, but this time we were in lovely Crewe Hall. Crewe Hall is a 17th-century Jacobean mansion and Grade I listed hotel surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens in the heart of Cheshire. Every nook and cranny of the mansion had aesthetic details to savour - it was truly an amazing place to host our away day.
The two days included a series of presentations and breakout conversations. Josh and I particularly enjoyed the session exploring a ‘post-truth’ landscape where misinformation, AI and social media are changing the ways in which research is understood and received. Through a series of hypothetical scenarios, teams of SQW colleagues navigated delivering a research project that was receiving negative social media responses, had bots distorting online survey results, and was under pressure from local politicians and activists.
We discussed the importance of maintaining our four core values of quality, integrity, collaboration and impact in an increasingly polarised online and media landscape where distrust of ‘experts’ and accusations of ‘fake news’ are becoming more common. Colleagues explored how we could use our existing online presence, such as the Insight for Impact podcast and our social media accounts, to ensure that the findings and implications from our work are communicated in an accessible and transparent way.
The great thing about working at SQW is that alongside thought-provoking conversations, we also know how to have fun! The Away Day had a little bit of everything for everyone – a ‘mini-Olympics’ with team-based games and challenges for some (friendly) competition, Ceilidh dancing, puzzles, and rounders. The Ceilidh was certainly a favourite for Josh and I, full of energy, enthusiasm and laughter. A real highlight that capped off a truly successful couple of days!
It was with fondness that we departed the 2025 Away Day … and we’re already looking forward to the next one and wondering where it will take us.