Getting away from the office for a team building retreat has many benefits. Find out the top 10 here, including improving morale and uncovering hidden talents.
Getting away from the office for a team building retreat is a wonderful change of pace that all your employees can look forward to.
When you’re in the middle of a hectic work environment it can be hard to imagine getting away. But taking a break from your normal routine can actually benefit your small business in important ways.
You’ll see direct and indirect payoffs as you get to know your employees better. Outside the confines of the office, people can express themselves and their good ideas.
As you’re planning how to get the most from your team, consider these 10 great reasons to add a company retreat to the calendar.
Build Teamwork
For your business to succeed, everyone needs to be able to work together. Regardless of their title or salary, a small business requires all hands on deck.
Use the team building retreat as an opportunity to build teamwork and promote collaboration. Getting people out of the office and out of their comfort zones creates a unique chance to connect with colleagues that they might not otherwise do.
If you have a retreat leader, he or she will arrange specific activities to help build teamwork.
Whether it’s a ropes course or some kind of trust exercise, your whole team will be encouraging each other and working together in new ways before long.
Improve Morale
Even offices where most people get along can begin to feel monotonous after a while. Organizing a retreat could be just the trick to get people feeling good about their job despite being incredibly busy.
The better your office’s morale, the more productive they’ll be. Studies show that employees with a high company morale are about 20% more productive.
Create an environment where your employees are motivated by more than a paycheck. Emphasize a positive community culture that makes people want to invest their time and full energy into your business.
Providing a space where your team can escape the office and bond with each other is a great step in improving overall morale and making your business more desirable for your current employees and any future potential shining stars.
Identify Weaknesses
No matter how smoothly your company is running, there is always room for improvement. But when you’re caught in the daily grind, it can be hard to see areas that need a different focus.
Bringing your team together outside of the office can help you identify and eliminate weaknesses. Your minds will be fresher in a new setting and you can spend protracted time wrestling with the problem.
By working on it as a team, you’ll also increase buy-in. Everyone will feel more incentive to step up and make necessary changes to keep your business running strong.
Change of Scenery Can Be a Welcome Break
You want your office team to feel like a family. But even family members begin to get on each other’s nerves after a while.
A change of scenery may be just what’s needed to cool down simmering tensions and give your crew a fresh start. Issues that crop up related to usual office drama can be left to simmer.
Some time out of the confines of your office space can allow for new perspective and provide a welcome break. Making your team building retreat effective doesn’t always mean that you travel far away or do something expensive with your employees.
Simply making time to connect in a new location, away from office drama, will benefit everyone.
Uncover Hidden Talents
You never know how valuable someone is to your team until you give him or her the opportunity to reveal their passions. You may have employees who are great at their job but have hidden skills that never came up because they are outside the scope of their current duties.
A retreat is a great time to find out what else your team can do. Encourage them to express hidden talents.
Sometimes you’ll uncover a skill that’s directly useful to your business. Or you may find something you have in common with a teammate you rarely engage with. After the retreat, you’ll have a new way of connecting with that person and your whole team will be stronger for it.
Boost Productivity
Having something fun to look forward to can help people focus on their current work. A team building retreat could be just what your company needs to turn the effort up a notch.
Having direct goals motivates people. Use your company outing as a leverage point to push your staff.
You can also use the retreat as an opportunity to hammer home your message about productivity in a setting where it may be even more receptive. When people are away from the office, in a new space, they tend to be more attentive.
Make the most of your chance to encourage your employees even while rewarding them for a job well done so far.
Create New Memories
Shared experiences bring people together. Your staff will be able to connect over the memories they create while on their team building retreat.
The less your employees think of themselves as individuals and instead as a part of a unit, the more they’ll look out for each other. Nothing creates a tighter bond than a shared experience.
Going on a retreat humanizes your colleagues. It’s impossible to just see them as someone who takes up space next to you when you’ve had a meaningful experience together.
Whether you do something truly epic like hike one of the Kilimanjaro routes or spend the day doing community service as a team, create new memories that bring you all closer together.
Form New Friendship
It’s easy to get caught up in the routine of work and not even really notice the people you work with. A team building retreat is a great opportunity to make new friends.
If you’re open to the experience, you’ll learn things about your colleagues that you didn’t know before. Find common ground while working together on a task.
Ask questions and share information about yourself that has nothing to do with work. You might find a new appreciation for your colleagues and make meaningful friendships that last a long time.
Find Future Leaders at your Team Building Retreat
A team building retreat is a great opportunity to find emerging leaders within your organization. Different activities will give people a chance to show off skills their jobs at the office may not allow for.
It can also give your colleagues a chance to volunteer for different roles and express their opinions in a new way. Use the time out of the office to learn more about your employees’ strengths and goals.
Your future leaders may be in your midst already.
Plan Ahead
It’s easy to get so caught up in the day to day activity of your company that you don’t make time for long-term planning.
A team building retreat provides a great space for you to pool the collective brain power of your staff to set goals. And being out of the office will reinforce the idea of building for the future.
You’ll be able to focus on big picture issues and later return to the office with a clearer sense of direction.
Boost Your Small Business
Get the most out of your staff with innovative ideas that boost productivity. Having a retreat will bring everyone together and provide a tangible return on your investment.
Looking for other ways to improve your small business? We’ve got a ton of useful ideas to help you avoid employee turnover and keep your team at the top of your industry.
Check out all the helpful business advice in our blogs and share it with your colleagues.
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