Every three months the HubSpot engineering and marketing teams, which sit mixed together in our office, do a random desk shuffle.
We started this when the company was young and much smaller, but we have kept it as a tradition that is both fun and serves some useful purposes.
For one, you get to sit next to new random people every three months, so you get to know them. That helps everyone feel more at home, whether you've been at HubSpot for a week or a year or more.
Another nice benefit is that everyone has to clean out their desks and related junk every three months. It's amazing how much cruft accumulates over time without people realizing it. We always toss out a lot of trash, and sometimes find some goods for charity as well.
Finally, we allow trading of desks, so the seat you draw from the hat is not your final assignment. People trade for quiet, to sit next to others, to sit AWAY from others, and for assorted other reasons. It's always entertaining and informative.
As the video below shows, sometimes it's a little chaotic, too.