You don’t have to search far to find some horror stories from corporate away days.
The lady who was nearly trampled during a horse-whispering excursion. The employee who (accidentally) shot his manager in the groin on a paintballing trip. The sales team that weren’t aware they were participants in a mock bus hijacking to test their reaction to stressful situations, which ended with the police being called by a member of the public.
With anecdotes such as these, is it any wonder the suggestion of an away day – even when the intentions are pure – might not receive a rapturous welcome from all team members?
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Team days, whether focused on training or team building, can raise morale, whether it’s Segway racing, Viking axe throwing or duck herding (all genuine activities offered online). Here are seven pointers to make the most out of them:
- Make it interactive: death by PowerPoint should be avoided at all costs.
- Make it collaborative: encourage your team to work together and with people they don’t normally work with.
- Take it offsite: the same environment will create the same thinking. Taking people out of the office will encourage them to think in new ways.
- Make it constructive: use the day to drive and generate relevant ideas and conversation.
- Follow up and follow through: ensure that things happen on the back of team day. Don’t just ignore helpful suggestions.
- Make it inspirational: the day should be something that people remember. Hiring in a speaker is one way of making it memorable.
- Have fun: seed happy memories!
