Planning your next team offsite? 3 key things to keep in mind….
- Keep it Fresh
As moreand more organizations emphasize on employee engagementthrough team off sites, it’s important to do it the right way and for the right reasons.
Don’t underestimate your employees thinking when it comes to doing things just for the sake of it or becoming so redundant that employees feel forced to partake in such activities rather than wanting to.
Keep it fresh and exciting and you will see the shift in inertia.
- Get the team involved
Too many times I see everyone else doing the planning and setting the expectations except the team members themselves. Ask your team members to be a part of the process. Whether that means taking feedback from the the team for their expectations, asking them to look for venue options or organizing the evening agenda can go a long way to get them involved. Even having some senior team members join in any meetings with possible external training/team building vendors shows you value their inputs. Many times when meeting business heads along with the HR/L&D team, I find myself asking the question of whether the expectations being shared are aligned with that of the team for whom the event is for.
Mismatch of expectations, type of activities and overall objectives can curtail the momentum going forward.
- Build Affiliation
Just because the organization spent money and made the arrangements to organize a team outing, does not mean the employees will feel more valued all of a sudden.
Events like this do not automatically translate into overnight motivation and stronger team dynamics. It takes time. It can’t be just to send them out and expect them to bond more.
It’s important to celebrate the success and achievements of the team to the organization as well, and appreciate their value in a meaningful way.
Vikram Jauhar heads I Train events at I Train Consultants (I) Pvt. Ltd. With over 8 years of experience in Learning & Development domain; he has been associated close to a 100 different organizations as a Coach, L&D Consultant and Outbound training expert
