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What better way to encourage bonding in your workplace than to have a company retreat in an epic location? It's time to elevate team events from dinner parties to incredible getaways, such as a backpacking trip in the Canadian Rockies or a sailing excursion in Greece. Employee retreats are essential for bonding and building relationships, which, in turn, create a more open, safe, fun work environment.
This article will tell you all about the benefits and purpose of hosting a corporate retreat and what makes a great team holiday. But first things first: what is a company retreat? Read on to find out, get inspired, and discover incredible corporate retreat ideas.
What is a Company Retreat?
A company retreat is when your workplace gathers for a team bonding experience in an exotic, faraway place for a week or somewhere near your city for a day or two.
It's meant to pull all of your employees away from the office, giving them a chance to get to know each other outside of typical work conversations. More often than not, the employer organizes a purposeful vacation for the entire workplace, one that has their employees engaging in team-building exercises, wellness activities, or other fun activities that propel relationships to develop.
What is the Purpose of a Company Retreat?
The purpose of a company retreat is to boost morale around the office. When you break up the standard 9-to-5 routine with a refreshing company-wide getaway, it notifies employees that you care about their wellbeing. This may propel increased productivity, foster a deeper passion for their position, and create a stronger, healthier work culture.
Not only that, but an employee retreat is excellent for team and relationship building. Getting to know your employees (and giving them a chance to get to know each other) can help with multiple work-related things. For example, a quiet person may feel more comfortable sharing their ideas in a brainstorming session or a meeting.
Hiking near waterfall
A corporate retreat works like a two-way street: it gives employees a chance to bond, get to know their team, spend time somewhere new (if you've gone the "exotic" route), and escape work life for a few days without worrying about losing vacation days; it also elevates productivity in the workplace, benefitting the overall company!
Some company retreats have different purposes! Try to develop clear goals before you go on your corporate retreat. Here are some things to consider:
- If you want this to be a pure social, get-to-know-each-other event
- If you want to include some work-related collaborative brainstorming sessions
- If you want your theme to be more about wellness and stress-relieving activities, or unreal adventures
- If your employees are scattered across different cities or working remotely, you need to think about what travel times would look like for them to get to the retreat destination
The bottom line is that a company retreat's goal isn't to waste time but to benefit your employees, whether through building relationships, easing stress, or helping people feel more involved.
Why Should You Have a Company Retreat?
Several benefits accompany hosting a corporate retreat! We've touched on a few of the following points already in this article, such as how a company retreat can inspire team and relationship building, lower stress, increase office morale, and elevate workplace productivity. However, some other incredible benefits go hand-in-hand with an employee retreat. Let's take a look:
Rafting trip
- Finding new leaders: A company retreat is a great place to get to know your team outside of the workplace, giving you a chance to spot potential leaders in your group. It helps to see how your employees interact with one another on a relational level. You can get a new perspective on this! (On the flip side, the point of a retreat isn't to analyze your employees—this may cause some stress amongst them, so keep this benefit to yourself.)
- Develop relationships: Yes, we know that we've talked about this a lot already, but this point has a slightly different angle. It's easy to view your employees as commodities instead of humans, but a company retreat can help you recognize more about your employees—what makes them tick, what inspires them, and what they need to succeed in the workplace. Your employees may develop a deeper relationship with one another, which may help them feel more comfortable in meetings and group discussions in the office. Still, when you, as the employer, get to know your employees, you will start to understand what they need to thrive.
- Brainstorming and feedback: Some company retreats include a few sessions that involve brainstorming and feedback amongst employees but in a more relaxed environment. It also gives your employees a chance to recognize that you are human and that they can approach you with worries or ideas. Meanwhile, in a more laid-back environment, brainstorming on a corporate retreat may open the floor for quieter employees to speak up and share ideas.
What Makes a Great Team Retreat?
An excellent team retreat boils down to a couple of things: atmosphere and location. You want your employees to bond and create great memories as a team and cultivate a family atmosphere. Achieving this may be easier in an epic, unreal environment or on an unforgettable adventure, such as an exotic tiger safari tour in the Himalayas in India or a backpacking trip in Yosemite in the United States! Here's why:
Adventure tours have the undeniable power to create everlasting memories and bonds! Just think of all the rugged adventures or camping trips you've been on; it's hard not to look back and laugh at what you overcame as a group. On the other hand, there are those moments that you experience together that you can't put into words—campfire stories, phenomenal views and scenery, fascinating animal sightings, hilarious mealtime chats. Adventures naturally bond people together!
Camping trip sunrise
Hiking, backpacking, safaris, camping, sailing tours allow you and your team to get to know one another without forced team-building exercises or planned events. All you need to do is find a pre-planned tour in one of the best company retreat locations, share it with your team, pack your bags, and witness everyone forming bonds, despite the lack of trust falls, obstacle courses, and ice breakers. Plus, it's fun for everyone to experience a new adventure or destination together. For example, most people within your company probably haven't done a sailing adventure tour in Croatia before, giving everyone a chance to marvel at the outstanding scenery cloaking Croatia's landscapes and seascapes.
With pre-planned tours, you can find a collection of company retreat ideas and activities; some may be more intense—which could be suitable for a company in the outdoor sector—while others are more relaxed and mild! We’re definitely advocates for planning corporate adventure tours. There's no better way to get to know your team than to experience an exciting, memorable expedition together.
Employee retreats are a fantastic way to get to know your team, build relationships, discuss innovative work-related ideas, and gain some valuable feedback on how to improve your workplace. And adventure tours can allow these conversations to unfold naturally while you're exploring the wild or a brand new destination. If you're inspired to kickstart an epic tour for your corporate retreat, visit our company retreat page for more useful info!
Company Retreat Articles
Check out our series of articles on adventure retreats to discover how you can build a stronger team.