Bring Your Team Together Off-Site for Year-End Planning

As remote working becomes more popular, employers will need to figure out how to keep their employees happy and productive. Company retreats can help solve this problem, keeping employees connected with their coworkers in ways that make sense in the modern workplace. For remote employees, company retreats help them feel like they are part of the team.But this only scratches the surface. Corporate retreats facilitate creativity, decrease employee distractions, and even allow work teams to celebrate big work milestones. Still, many employers feel reluctant to book them, thinking that a company retreat is a luxury rather than the necessity they’ve become.

A Company Retreat Removes Your Team From Daily Distractions

The regular workaday world usually includes ringing phones, annoying tech problems, and a coffeemaker in the breakroom that only seems to work every other day. Annoyances are a part of work-life, and while the most top-notch professional teams learn to deal with them, they take their toll on employee productivity. This toll can affect company production ideation as your company’s team members take more of their brain power to deal with everyday problems. Less of their thinking time is spent coming up with innovative ideas. The price for not allowing your team time for unhindered thinking is high. Successful company production ideation requires time not only for brainstorming but also to bring ideas to fruition. Company retreats give employees the time they need to identify possible problems with an otherwise great idea and to work up solutions. Some of this comes from just being away from their regular work distractions, but some also comes from being in a new environment, having fun, and not doing anything remotely related to work. Some great activities to try include:

• Golf on the links
• Tennis and pickleball
• Outdoor yoga
• And long bike rides

These activities release dopamine, as does getting plenty of sleep. All of this translates into greater creativity, which is closely associated with high levels of dopamine in the brain. It’s often on the golf course and not at the drawing board when the best ideas strike us. Corporate retreats leave space for both types of activities, so no good idea goes unrealized.

Off-Site Corporate Events Build Camaraderie Between Your Teammates

Company retreats are also helpful for teams who have the hybrid/ remote model. These situations can be marked by the psychological “split” between groups that don’t work in the same office. Anytime you add tech into the mix, you will have a challenge with employees who feel disconnected from one another. In-person, onsite events can do a world of good in reducing some of the disconnection that your remote team members may feel.Successful company retreats often unite people for three to five days at a stretch. Hybrid/ remote ream meetups via Zoom are replaced by an in-person meetup over breakfast over cookies and coffee in the resort Inn or around team-building cooking demonstrations at an open firepit. Onsite whiteboard meetings happen in between lots of fun and relaxation.Although all corporate retreat activities have the potential for building bonds, it’s often the bonds that are created in the off hours while everyone is playing or having a craft beer in the pub that are the most lasting bonds.

Celebrate Completing The Company Annual Planning

The work world will change dramatically over the next decade, with many companies facing issues they never have. According to Star Outico, about 50% of the people employed right now will need some measure of reskilling by 2025 to keep up with new tech rollouts.How many of those 50% work for you? Given the number of people who now work at home doing jobs they never thought they’d be doing, we’d guess that the number is relatively high. In light of this, it’s more important than ever that companies get their annual planning done. These yearly plans should include growth opportunities for employees, allowing them to keep up with the demands that will be facing them in the future. However, these annual planning sessions take a lot out of a team. Their days are spent looking at analytics, watching trends, and even doing a bit of creative guesswork. All of this is so that they can successfully manage the challenges they will face in the coming year/s. Forward-thinking employers book corporate retreats to facilitate yearly planning and encourage celebrations when the company’s annual planning tasks are complete. There are few stresses that a good massage won’t cure!

Last Thoughts on Off-Site Company Retreats

When you think of corporate retreats, you might think of long days in an uncomfortable hotel meeting room, with stale coffee in insulated jugs and whiteboards that have seen their better days. While these types of retreats have their place, it’s easy to forget that this type of work environment could be counterproductive to the organization's and its employees' goals. It may seem strange, but well-planned and fun corporate retreats are some of the most productive workplaces. With the proliferation of remote work teams, these hybrid/remote team meetups have become essential to many modern companies’ successes. If you’re ready to take your work team to the next level, book a company retreat with Pursell Farms. Contact us for a proposal for your team today!