How to Plan a Corporate Retreat So Cool Your Recruiter Can Take a Vacation
A lot of people think the only way to attract talent is by negotiating money.
Yes, of course, money is important. But people need a lot more than money to be happy. And corporate retreats are one of the best out-of-the-box ways you can entice people to join the culture and community of your business.
But a great corporate retreat needs to be more than cabins and games of horseshoe. If you really want to build a sense of togetherness, you need to go way beyond this kind of company retreat planning.
We’ve put together a few important elements to any corporate retreat that gets top talent knocking at your door.
A Great Location
The destination is always very important. Do you want to go on a four day excursion to a tourist trap an hour away from where you live? Or do you want to go to Morocco and engage with big ideas and the future of how you do business?
It’s a no brainer. Retreats are like real estate: it’s all about location, location, location.
Work-Life Balance
It seems like going off on a retreat with coworkers is a weird time to focus on work-life balance, but it’s mission critical.
To build a strong team (and make the trip sound enjoyable), you’ll want to bond through shared experiences that go beyond who people are as professionals. Schedules that leave open spots for people to explore, as well as planned events that aren’t focused solely on business make retreats more meaningful and effective.
Have a Goal
It might be fun to go to an island resort with your coworkers, but for a retreat to make a truly lasting impression, it needs some kind of goal.
Now, this goal doesn’t have to be “figure out how to double sales in Q2.” A better goal might be, “work on communication for problem solving.” This gives you a center, and a rationale for booking speakers and guides professional development.
Food Is Life
Free food brings people to just about any event. And retreats can actually use food as a crucial element. If you are in a far flung destination, great local cuisine can immerse people in their new surroundings.
Food events also give a team that special moment to gather in communion. For that reason, even just having one shared meal a day can improve a group experience.
Go Big
Many businesspeople worry that spending too much attention on a retreat gets priorities backwards. But a team made up of people who’ve built meaningful connections through transformative experiences are going to perform like superstars.
The energy you invest in a corporate retreat pays back dividends. It continuously improves the company and inspires the people who make things happen.
But Whatever You Do — Go!
The most important part of a corporate retreat is actually doing it. It isn’t enough to sit back and dream about how it might help with team bonding and rocket performance and innovation to the stratosphere while enticing top talent to join.
You have to prioritize it. You have to make it happen. So what are you waiting for?
