7 Benefits of Taking a Company Retreat

August 22, 2017

alt Company retreats come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you opt for luxury accommodations or woodsy lodgings, what’s most important is organizing a variety of activities and workshops that bring out the best in your team. Research retreat ideas and come up with an environment that will work for your organization. Consider consulting with a professional retreat planner. A well-constructed retreat can refresh, renew and even repair a team of coworkers. Think about the potential benefits of a company getaway, and then get started planning your own!

1. Overcome Fears

Although team-building exercises are beneficial, it’s also important to acknowledge and address a company’s problems. Fear is a common problem for organizations, and it can inhibit growth and productivity at every level. Diagnosing those fears and implementing solutions will restore harmony in many ways.

For example, ask attendees to write their biggest fears related to their careers on a card. Share them with the group and openly discuss each problem and develop individualized solutions.

2. Learn to Work Toward Shared Goals

In a growing company, departments are important for keeping things running smoothly. Still, it’s not always easy to maintain effective communication across teams. It helps to identify the goals you’re working toward so that every employee sees the bigger picture and how to fit into it.

These micro-interactions can help reduce inner-office conflict and create more compassion in your employee network. Allowing employees to get to know each other is one of the most beneficial team-building exercises around.

3. Connect with Coworkers Outside of Work

Although it’s ill advised for employers to get too heavily invested in their coworkers’ personal lives, personal connections build a better culture. A retreat forces employees to spend a little downtime together. They can talk about their likes, dislikes, families and more.

4. Gain Perspective

If you’re struggling to define a clear direction for your business, or your previous goals aren’t working the way you’d hoped, a retreat can help you gain perspective. Away from your daily to-do list and outside of your comfort zone, you may develop a new understanding of your team, your products and services and where you’re heading.

Additionally, employees can gain a greater perspective on their role in the company. It can help un-invested staff work on greater engagement with the organization and its leaders.

5. Build Skills

Within the “walls” of your retreat, you can create skill-building exercises to answer deficits in the office. For example, if your sales department is struggling with cold-calling etiquette, you can hold a seminar or role-playing exercise on the subject.

Consider leaving an open hour for employees to work on a skill of their choice. Allowing them to take charge of their own personal improvement can be much more beneficial than a forced meeting.

6. Expose Hidden Talents

You’ll learn many new things from your team members at a retreat. The workshops and activities will bring people out of their shells and expose talents you didn’t know existed. You could have talented musicians, chefs, website developers and more right under your nose.

The underlying talents might not all support your industry, but they humanize your employees and promote teamwork. Team members will unwind and feel more engaged when they know that coworkers are supportive of their talents both inside and outside of work.

7. Invest in Your Business

Set a reasonable budget for the expense of a retreat and stick to it. Just remember: The main focus should be on investing in experiences and education for your staff.

As they learn how to work better together, learn more about their industry, and work efficiently as a team, they’ll bring new skills and knowledge to the office that can help your business and employees flourish.

Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in tech, social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Learn more about the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and apply for membership today!