The Top Five Benefits of Hosting a Corporate Retreat
Ah, workplace culture. In so many ways, it defines a company’s identity and values—so it’s no surprise that workplace culture is becoming more and more important for members of the modern-day workforce. But how, exactly, do you create an exciting workplace culture that brings out the best in your employees and attracts the cream of the crop when it comes to potential hires? Turns out, the secret to a great office environment is—wait for it—getting out of the office.
Project managers and business owners often make the mistake of thinking that in-office events will work for team-building and morale boosting—but an in-office event will never have the potential to replicate the enthusiasm and inspiration that comes from a simple change of scenery. Today, then, we’re talking the top 5 benefits of getting outside of the office for an unforgettable corporate retreat.
1. Boost Employee Morale
Let’s face it—no amount of conference-room donuts or in-office trust falls can replicate the morale boost project managers see in their employees from simply treating their team to time outside the office. Getting outside of your four walls is absolutely crucial when it comes to corporate team building. Our mindset and our environment go hand-in-hand—our brain can’t help but attach certain thoughts to certain settings. After countless mornings sitting down to check your email exhausted and disenchanted in the same exact setting, your brain inevitably starts to associate that setting with those feelings. So, even when our employees wake up excited and ready to tackle the day, this often changes the moment they sit down at their desk—as it’s a setting their brain has learned to associate with exhaustion, stress or boredom. The quickest way to change this often inevitable lack of morale and excitement? Treat your employees to a brand-new setting.
2. Encourage Team Bonding
Getting outside of the office for corporate retreats or corporate team building activities is a great way for your employees to see each other in a brand new light (everyone looks better under some sunshine, after all). Employees are so much more likely to engage on an authentic level with one another when they’re in a fresh setting. The change of locale encourages team members to see each other as individuals as opposed to just “that guy I always see in the breakroom.” When employees begin to see each other as people (real, live people!) rather than just co-workers, they’re much more likely to open up to one another and embrace each other's differences—ultimately leading to a more cohesive and productive team back at the office.
3. Engage in Team Building that Doesn’t Suck
We’ll be blunt—most corporate ice breakers and corporate team building activities suck (as in royally suck). Out-of-office corporate retreats offer a fun way to engage in team-building sans eye rolls from your employees. It’s not exactly rocket science, after all: would you rather spend your day sitting in a conference room practicing trust-falls and devouring stale donuts, or skiing at a world-class resort followed by an al’fresco sunset dinner on the lake?
4. Complete a Project in an Inspiring Environment
Don’t just think of corporate retreats as something you do once a year to check a box off your to-do list. Corporate retreats can also be a great place to turn when your team is in need of a little extra inspiration to wrap that project it’s been working on forever. We happen to think a corporate retreat in Lake Tahoe is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to finishing that report, presentation or paper with a bang. (After all, is there anything more inspiring than fresh mountain air?) The best places for corporate retreats are settings that offer something for everyone—and with everything from sunny lake days to snowy slopes, Tahoe has activities to inspire city-dwellers and wilderness-lovers alike.
5. Assess your Team’s Strengths and Weaknesses
After years of our employees filling a specific role, it can be hard to see them as anything other than the accounts person or the graphic designer or the web developer. But, when we bring our team to a brand-new environment, we’re suddenly able to see them in an entirely new light—which is a great tool for managers who want to bring out the best in their employees back in the office. Maybe you always thought Jenny was quiet and reserved, but seeing the way she stepped up to lead that snowshoe trip on your corporate retreat suddenly tells you she’d be a great candidate for a project manager. Watching the way employees operate outside of the office gives managers the rare and invaluable opportunity to learn how they can get the most from their employees in the office.
Ready for some seriously killer corporate event ideas?
Reach out to us to get started with custom-crafting your Lake Tahoe corporate retreat. From wilderness adventures to wine tastings, we’ll work together to plan a retreat that will wow even your toughest-to-crack team members.