[atonse]

Granted we are a small company (13 people) but I actually see happy (and as a result, invested) employees as a productivity gain, especially with information work. In fact, I've had the opposite issue where I have to remind people to make sure they take lunch breaks, etc.

We are already discussing things like having sprint kickoffs as picnics, meeting at coffee shops, etc. So we do have those face-to-face interactions where it counts, but they can also be in an environment that is unconventional. Let's see how it turns out. It may be a pain, who knows? The point is that I have an opportunity to build the ideal company I'd like to work for, so I'm trying that.

But again, I understand this might be a smaller company thing (where people in smaller companies tend to be more invested than ones in larger companies regardless). In a larger company that might not be as easily done.