Corporate retreats and team-building days are both good investments. They are highly effective ways to improve the way each team member thinks and feels about the work they do. The list of benefits is long, but the ones below are the most important.
Boosts each team member´s engagement and motivation levels
Keeping everyone motivated is something that most companies struggle with. It is natural for people to lose sight of why they are doing the work they do and to start to become bored.
A recent Gallup survey showed that only 32% of workers in the USA were actively engaged in their work. Studies in other parts of the world showed the same issue. Team away days are the ideal way to remind everyone of the difference doing their job well makes to their customers, teammates, and the profitability of the company for which they are working. All of which, in the long term improves the chances of each team member earning a better wage.
A chance to have fun together
The strongest teams enjoy working together. It is human nature to want to please and support people that you like and enjoy being around. Corporate and team days can be a lot of fun. They give people the chance to get to know each other better and build closer bonds.
Improves company culture
Having a strong company culture is key to success. When everyone is clear on what they are there to achieve, what their role is and how to get things done, everything runs smoothly. Most firms realise this so work hard to improve their company culture. Yet often they fail in that goal. Partly because people are too busy with day-to-day tasks to properly engage with training and materials that are delivered in the workplace.
It is far more effective to give people time away from their jobs to improve their understanding of company culture. Providing them with the chance to have face-to-face contact with people who work in all areas of the business helps. The Owl Labs 2022 State of Work Study shows that 41% of workers who work remotely struggle to fit in with company culture. This demonstrates that face-to-face contact is important.
Encourages innovation
Innovation is the lifeblood of any business. Without it, companies stagnate and fall behind their competitors. But to innovate people need headspace, something they rarely get during their busy workday.
Taking everyone out of the office or factory for a day is a great way to give them the time and environment they need to pause and reflect. This leads to people thinking differently and coming up with new ideas. Innovative solutions to long-term problems, new product ideas and much more.
A change of scene gets the creative juices going. As does being around other people who are familiar with the business and its processes. Individual team members share the same understanding and language so can easily bounce ideas off of each other.
Improves understanding of employees
Employers that know their employees well are better able to support and motivate them. Team away days and corporate retreats provide the ideal opportunity for business owners and managers to get to know individual team members better.
It is vital to follow through
All the above benefits combine to improve productivity, which, in turn, creates higher profits. That is why team building is a sound investment. It generates a good ROI.
But this is only the case for those firms that follow up after their corporate retreats or team away days. These events power up team members, but that momentum can soon be lost if all that new energy is not channelled into something specific. That is why it is a good idea to set everyone to work on a project, for example solving a specific problem. when everyone returns to the workplace.