How To Plan Company Retreats That Boost Employee Morale

Company retreats boost morale and bring employees together. In high-stress and competitive work environments, hard work may go unnoticed. Corporate retreats provide an opportunity for managers to let employees know that they are valued and appreciated. This fosters better working relationships and ultimately improves morale. At corporate retreats, employees are taken out of their daily roles. These team building events allow them to relax and get to know one another while they work together towards a common goal. When employees return to the office, they feel more connected to your company’s mission and each other. Here are a few tips on how to plan company retreats that boost employee morale.

Clarify Your Objective

First, when planning a company retreat, you must clarify your objective. Your main objective, of course, will be to boost employee morale. In order to do this, however, you will need to reinforce company values and culture. Team bonding and communication are also important for morale so these aspects may be a part of your goal as well. Assure that each member of your planning team knows these objectives well. This will help to guide your decision-making as you plan your event. Don’t try to focus on too much during one retreat. Prioritize exactly what you want to work on and brainstorm ideas that align with this goal. Create concepts and prototypes and get feedback on them. Be sure that each activity clearly connects to your initial objective. A clear objective is essential if you want to boost employee morale during your company retreat.

Schedule Team Building Activities

Once you have a clear objective, you can schedule the right team building activities. Again, be sure that these activities align with the initial goal of boosting morale. You may want to hire a motivational speaker or industry professional to give an empowering speech. Any activity where employees are broken into smaller teams promotes bonding more effectively. Escape rooms and scavenger hunts are helpful to achieve this goal. You can also have different departments competing against each other during dodgeball or kickball games. Tournaments are an excellent way to improve camaraderie and improve morale. Schedule time for interactive team building activities at your company retreats.

Incorporate A Theme

Another idea for boosting the morale during a retreat is to incorporate a theme into your event. This will enhance your employees’ retreat experience. Themes are a fun and creative way to encourage everyone to come together. You can, for example, choose a popular game show theme to set the tone for a friendly competition. Perhaps you want to go with a tropic theme. This is a great choice for a relaxing picnic. Serve tropical drinks and set up a pig roast to set the scene. Themes make for more memorable corporate events. They also make the planning process easier as you have a clear direction for all of your aesthetic material. Incorporate a theme into your corporate retreat to boost employee morale.

Source Internal Talent

Another way to promote morale is to source internal talent for your retreat. Your employees all have skills and hobbies outside of the day-to-day work they provide. Lean into these internal resources to source activities for your event. Perhaps one of your team members is a certified yoga teacher. Ask them if they would like to host a sunset yoga class one evening. If someone in your HR department is a skilled watercolor painter, they may want to host a still-life session during your event. By turning inward to find talent, you are demonstrating an increased appreciation for your employees. You are showing them that you prioritize their hobbies and skills not necessarily connect with their desk job. This is also a great opportunity for your team members to get to know each other better. Source internal talent for your company retreats to improve morale further.

Conduct A Post-Retreat Survey

Lastly, send out a survey to all attendees after your retreat. Employee surveys improve management for your company. Ask employees to provide feedback about their experiences at the event. This lets them know that their opinions are valued. The information gathered from a survey will also be useful for planning more effective future retreats. Make these surveys anonymous so that employees will be more candid with their feedback. Don’t take it personally if some people did not love every part. Instead, use this information to identify what you can do better next time. Employees are happier when they know that you value their input. Conduct a post-retreat survey to solicit feedback from your team.

Managers are interested in how to plan a company retreat that brings employees together. First, it is essential to clarify your planning team’s objectives to ensure that all activities align with your intended goal. Plan fun team building activities that promote camaraderie and bonding. Incorporate a theme to enhance employees’ overall experience. Source internal talent for your event to demonstrate employee appreciation. Once the event is over, solicit employee feedback so you can plan more effective company retreats in the future. Use this post to learn how to plan company retreats that boost employee morale.