The Future of Work: Why Company Offsites Help With Employee Retention and Development
As headlines dub the ongoing phenomenon of employees resigning en masse “The Great Resignation,” it’s more vital than ever to rethink your employee experience strategies. During disruptive times, employees can be hit hard. From high levels of uncertainty to negative morale, the strain can lead to lower productivity, poor employee retention, and higher financial problems; all of which can lead to organizational failure. Businesses must adapt quickly to meet the future of work.
Company-sponsored social events have always been an important predictor of how high employees assess culture and their desire to stay. Intentional work-sponsored events will become even more important in the coming years. With limited social gatherings during the pandemic and a future that’s leaning toward hybrid work, leaders will need to be more conscious about structuring events to build team cohesion and culture in order to retain top talent. We know the alternative can leave you overwhelmed, stretched thin, and focused on securing a new workforce rather than your bottom line.
To make a case that will secure the necessary budget for your next internal event, use these vital advantages:
Maximize Employee Engagement
A major reason that people quit and leave companies is that they’re not feeling connected to the people they work with or the job they're doing. An offsite event provides opportunities outside the office to learn more about employees’ passions, skills, and interests. They help you tap into team members’ intrinsic motivations, leverage what they’re great at, and help you mentor individuals in more meaningful ways; all of which increase engagement.
An all-hands offsite event allows your team to connect with people they don’t work with regularly. There you can increase engagement by sharing company goals and mission, conducting team building activities, or facilitating brainstorming sessions to solve issues for your company or customers. These kinds of sessions spark creativity and uncover ideas while giving your team members the chance to be a part of your company’s vision and goals, key drivers of employee engagement.
Build a Strong Working Environment
Internal events help to create stronger bonds and break barriers that can form in the workplace. Relationship dynamics between different decision-makers and their subordinates can be complicated and put to the test by the demands of reaching company goals. Giving your employees the opportunity to connect on a personal level outside of the office can help promote a safe and inclusive atmosphere that will translate back into the work environment.
Pro Tip: Survey your employees throughout the year to discover their desires and pain points—plan content and activities around these topics of interest.
Boost Productivity
Getting outdoors and away from the office for an afternoon (or a week) can do wonders for team productivity. For starters, you minimize distractions for the participants during the event, resulting in a more productive session. Cutting loose and having fun together outside work also helps teams build common ground.
When back at the office, that common ground can result in unity, allowing the team to work more openly in the same direction. This cohesion leads to reaching decisions and solutions faster, which is a win for everyone.
Raise Employee Morale
During complicated and lengthy projects, it can often seem like the work is never-ending and that there isn’t enough recognition for the effort. Having events that allow you to reward the people that went above and beyond for the company is always a good idea.
Not only can it serve as a huge boost in morale for the entire team, but it can also provide additional motivation in upcoming projects. People will remember that all the hard work they put in now will be rewarded and recognized, which is crucial for a happy workplace.
Increase Employee Retention
It’s hard to keep good people in today’s labor market and you need every advantage. Getting offsite with your team allows you to show the personal side of your leadership team, give recognition, and importantly, get to know the people who work with you. Learning about your fellow team members outside of work can help you develop and demonstrate empathy for them when they need it most, helping you become a better leader who drives loyalty.
Prioritizing Employee Retention and Development?
There’s no better way to invest in your team than an internal event. Our expert planners work with you to relieve that overwhelm and build out high-caliber offsite experiences to deliver an event that will continue to have an impact well after your event ends. Schedule some time with us today and let us guide you through tactics to create a cohesive and impactful experience structured to attain your company’s unique ROI.
MAGGIE KENNEDY
Maggie Kennedy is the co-owner of Kennedy Events is a large-scale event management company based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City. Our team creates stress-free conferences and events with a positive impact, which allows our clients to resonate with their audience. Kennedy Events specializes in producing flawless product launches, award ceremonies, fundraisers, and multi-day conferences while keeping our eye on retention and engagement goals.
About Kennedy Events
Kennedy Events began with one goal in mind—to produce high-level corporate events with just as much strategy as style. Maggie founded the company in 2000, found her match in Paige, and in 2011 the two became official partners. Since then, these two resourceful and brilliant creatives have pooled their strengths to build one one of the most the most sought after corporate event companies in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.
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