away day cd.odt

AWAY  DAY

Day to day you work under pressure, little chance to spend quality time with your colleagues. Whether your

objective is to get to know each other better, to build a team to work together better, to be more innovative, or to get down to work on your strategy, you will achieve much, much more if you get away, change the environment and allow time for the process.

Corporate retreats have been popular for years as a way for businesses to train executives, promote an environment of teamwork and productivity, and reward employees for exemplary achievements. Corporate retreats can be very small and intimate affairs with only a handful of people, or they can be large events that last a few days and cover a variety of activities. They can center around one specific theme, or be a little more open-ended. Whatever the reason for corporate retreats, the bottom line is that despite the cost, they are usually very beneficial for businesses and the people that run them and work for them. Investment in a retreat can result in greater productivity in a company and a better understanding between employees.
Corporate retreats encourage and promote friendships among employees. Also, corporate retreats turn a mundane work environment into a place where teamwork and a friendly atmosphere rule the office; employees will work better together after attending a corporate office retreat, and they will learn innovative techniques and methods to increase office productivity.
It can also be helpful to get some ideas from employees about what type of retreats to plan, as well as when the best time of year might be, etc. Conducting a survey is one good way to do this, as well as holding one or more meetings to discuss the different options. More than likely, you won’t be able to please everyone completely, but you can certainly find some compromises that will be satisfactory for the majority of everyone involved.

One of the most popular reasons for planning and implementing corporate retreats is to promote a feeling of teamwork among company employees, whether they are higher-level salaried executives or an entire department including management and lower-level employees. Team building retreats can be of any type , such as a sports retreat or a seminar-style retreat, but the underlying theme will be to build a better understanding between employees of a company and help them gain some problem-solving skills that result in better teamwork and better overall productivity.

Most team-building corporate retreats focus on events where everyone has to work together to reach a common goal, such as river rafting, rock climbing, intellectually challenging games, or even friendly competitions between company departments. Those who attend these team-building retreats will learn about what the temporary retreat goals are, as well as the long-term results that the company is striving for.
Typical executive corporate retreats usually consist of luxury accommodations, and each person might have his or her own room, either at the resort that is hosting the retreat, or somewhere nearby. Many activities at these retreats are planned, but the executives that attend often have quite a bit of time to themselves for personal recreation.

Corporate retreats don’t always have to be about working, training, or building skills; sometimes they are just about rewarding employees for outstanding contributions to the company. Many companies will set aside corporate retreats each year for recipients of such rewards as employee of the year, top salesperson of the year, and those who have shown the best leadership abilities. These retreats are usually all about recreation and relaxation, and are a true vacation from any work related activities. In order to be sure of getting a reservation at the most desired location, companies often hold a company-wide vote a year ahead of time, giving a choice of certain choices. Reward corporate retreats, although almost always purely for fun, are still a great incentive for management and employees to work hard throughout the year in the hopes that they will win the trip, so they still can be very cost effective. If a company chooses to send the department that shows the most productivity or does the most to help the company reach its goals, then this can promote better teamwork within all the departments. There is nothing quite as motivating as a chance to win a trip to a tropical island or beautiful mountain resort – all expenses paid. When those employees who have been rewarded with an all-expense paid trip come back, they are sure to talk about what a great time that they had, which in turn motivates other company employees to try even harder to win next year. Reward corporate retreats may be all about fun and excitement, but the underlying fact is that they are as good for the company as they are for the people who are rewarded with them.