Colleague ‘Blind Date’ Programs Catching on in Canada

FreshBooks has more than 250 employees, which means some never meet others.

Until, that is, Toronto’s FreshBooks launched a “blind dates” program based on a recent study which showed that an employee’s relationship with coworkers is the most important thing when it comes to feeling connected to their job.

The casual, non-romantic “dates” help colleagues get to know their peers.

Recently Vancouver’s Hootsuite started a similar program called #RandomCoffee, in which resident “culture creature” Noel Pullen paired 120 workers to chat over coffee.

FreshBook’s program was launched last summer. More than half of FreshBooks employees volunteered to participate in the program’s first round, and 100% of people enjoyed the experience, and there’s now a wait list for the next wave.