In the modern bustling age of business, employee connectivity and teamwork is key. As the traditional office workplace becomes more and more irrelevant in today’s fast-paced society and technology, bringing your team together is more important than ever. As a leader in any industry you should be constantly questioning ways to increase efficiency, moral, and overall growth. Company-wide gatherings provide the perfect opportunity achieve these various goals. If executed correctly, they can gain admiration from your work force. Let’s take a look at points to integrate while planning your outing.
Everyone has heard the ‘there is no I in team’ expression. Sure, we hear this mostly along the sidelines of junior varsity basketball team, but any successful manager works this directly into every workplace task. As connectivity on every level is increasingly evident throughout society, it is essential to keep your team in sync. Developed social and business relationships translate directly into efficiency. A company outing creates the perfect opportunity to address these issues and mix it up. Using fun and social team-building exercises, you can easily increase productivity in the workplace one conversation at a time.
The first question that probably comes to mind from an administration standpoint is to address the team’s lost time and output as they’re off having fun. After all, let’s be honest, you can’t ask your team to come to an unpaid company picnic bright and early on Sunday morning. Take comfort in knowing that the long-term benefits will outweigh any temporary losses. Company moral can make or break your workplace efficiency, but if you team is happy it will most definitely show in the output. Social relationships (or lack thereof) can also put a dampener on growth and even day-to-day workplace tasks. You can’t expect every staff member to be good friends, but the casual chat every now and then loosens things up a bit and make the overall work day more pleasant. Each member of your team brings different experiences and benefits to the table and open channels of communication will allow them to learn from one another. Keep this in mind as a determining factor when selecting and activity or focus of the outing; instead of fostering an environment in which people will talk solely with their working friends, strive to promote interactions of employees who normally wouldn’t connect in the office. Any new connections can ultimately lead to further workplace integration and productivity gains.
The planning and execution of the event shouldn’t be terribly painstaking or break the bank. Step one is to find a location that will encourage your staff to relax. While hosting the event within your own office can save on Monday, it will be more challenging for your staff to let their guards down. Local restaurants often offer a mid-day rate, and community centers or parks can even fit the bill for a low or non-existent budget. Another option is to have a field day or an office Olympics. Use customized company t-shirts to break up into teams and play team-building games, such as tug-of-war, capture the flag, or volleyball.
Now that you have a location, what specifically will you do? A group of people that see each other at least five days a week don’t want to sit around and talk about the weather. The goal is to stir things up a bit and give workers common ground to bond over besides simply the company. There are a variety of creative and inexpensive options for engagement to create this atmosphere, even services to curate activities for you. A simple search will reveal ideas galore, so find something that reflects your employees and your company. Will you serve food or drinks? This is another slippery slope that can become very expensive very quick. Shop around, look for interesting options and don’t forget the good old fashioned potluck. Whatever you choose, your best guess is to be prepared and set guidelines. An apprehensive staff must be told what to do in this sort of setting, but with the proper planning there should be smiles all around.
Now you’re ready to reignite the spark in your team. A company outing can be a perfect opportunity to address issues, solve rifts, and boost overall moral of your workforce. With the proper planning, targets, and goals a work-sponsored activity can be enjoyable for employees and beneficial for the growth and effectiveness of your team.
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This guest post is courtesy of: Justin Murray brings a wealth of experience in corporate brand development, as well as entertainment and hospitality marketing.