Meaningful Company Retreats for a Morale Boost

by Meredith Wood, Guest Contributor

How your employees feel about your company directly impacts your bottom line. When your team is motivated to do good work, your customers will feel those sentiments and you’ll create more brand evangelists than ever! So how can you create a company culture that embodies a positive feeling about your company? 

​​Use your business bank account and show some appreciation! Plan a company-wide retreat to get your employees out of the office and break the monotony of the day-to-day.
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We understand that as the head of a company, there’s a lot on your plate. Use this step-by-step guide to plan your company retreat, and relieve some of the stress of organizing without sacrificing the benefits a retreat can create. 

Company Retreat Benefits
80% of America’s workforce feels stressed in their role. It’s no wonder that the emerging workforce chooses companies with additional perks like unlimited PTO, a casual office environment, and snacks. Company retreats are yet another way to entice younger generations to join the force with the promise of excellent company culture.

Beyond potential employees, company retreats can be an integral part of creating a thriving workplace with creative freedom flowing between teams. Encourage an open dialogue and team building activities to strengthen the relationships in the office.

Planning the Retreat
As a busy professional, you want to make sure your planning is as streamlined as possible. Keep things simple, and ask for feedback from your leadership team or employees. Find out what’s important to them: team building, cross-collaboration between teams, getting the creative juicing flowing in a new and exciting place, or even simply getting outside and away from the fluorescent lights and screens for a day. Be sure to plan and provide transportation to and from the event for all employees.

Once you’ve nailed down the location, plan the KPI’s of a successful retreat. Are you trying to foster the culture, introduce a new product, or simply have more communication? Write down your goals so you can revisit them after the event.

Lastly, plan the events you’ll be hosting throughout the retreat. Think about networking especially, and any other team activities that can strengthen the inter-office relationships. Ice breakers are always an easy and fun way to make everyone feel comfortable in this new situation.

After the Retreat
Once you’ve completed the successful retreat, celebrate the win! It’s not easy to make time for non-work related activities, and putting your employees first is a huge feat. Once you’ve celebrated, be sure to revisit those KPI’s you initially logged. What went well? What didn’t? Seek feedback from your team and find out if there was anything they would suggest for the next retreat. 

Planning the perfect retreat can seem daunting at first, but once you do it once, you’ll be an old pro. Be sure to take the feedback constructively so you can continue to improve upon this event for years to come. For more details about planning the perfect retreat, take a look at this infographic, courtesy of Fundera.​

About the author:

Meredith Wood is the founding editor of the Fundera Ledger and a vice president at Fundera. She launched the Fundera Ledger in 2014 and has specialized in financial advice for small business owners for almost a decade. Meredith is frequently sought out for her expertise in small business lending. She is a monthly columnist for AllBusiness, and her advice has appeared in the SBA, SCORE, Yahoo, Amex OPEN Forum, Fox Business, American Banker, Small Business Trends, MyCorporation, Small Biz Daily, StartupNation, and more.

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