An American company pays its employees for an aperitif after work.

This is a good way to bring your teams together. American computer security company Verkada has introduced a new concept called 3-3-3, which involves paying $30 (or approximately 27 euros) for each employee to spend on drinks and food with colleagues at a restaurant located near San Mateo. premises in Silicon Valley (California).

To benefit from those few tens of dollars, employees must meet in groups of three for drinks from 3 p.m., outside of work hours. A way to strengthen team spirit, strengthen social connections, and also increase productivity.

“The idea is that it’s midday and three people are going out and hanging out. Chances are, you’re talking about something relevant, work-related, and it will benefit us in the long run,” Verkada CEO Philip Caliszan said on the Logan Bartlett Show podcast.

Employees do not need to notify their superiors in advance to participate. The company’s only requirement is that employees post photos of themselves on the work messaging app Slack after finishing work.

It is recommended to participate once or twice a week.

The company’s CEO assures Business Insider that all of Verkada’s 1,800 employees have participated in the program at least once, and that four to five photos are posted every day on a Slack channel called “3-3-3.” The company recommends that employees participate in this program once or twice a week.

Before the initiative, employees were already able to spend their club money on going out for drinks, but it was the creation of the program, naming it and posting posters around the office that made it a success, Philip Calisan said.

While this initiative may be the dream of many employees around the world, according to Business Insider, the IT security company is known for its strict and sometimes controversial policies regarding remote work. During the pandemic, after a two-month shutdown, Verkada forced all of its employees to return to the office. According to Philip Kalishan, remote work has caused friction between employees. “If we want to grow as fast as we want to, we need to bring people back,” Caliszan said.

In June 2020, the company introduced a strict policy requiring all employees to report five days a week. Since then, Verkada has reportedly even avoided hiring remote workers.