How to Organize a Comfortable Company Retreat – 2024 Guide

Here we will go over how to organize a comfortable company retreat.

A company retreat is an organized getaway that allows employees the chance to learn, communicate, and have fun through team building exercises and activities.

Retreats are beneficial because they foster creativity, support professional growth, boost morale, reduce stress and help employees build relationships.

Unfortunately, these informal mini-vacations can be awkward since the dynamic is unfamiliar. However, there are ways to make your employees feel comfortable while on a retreat.

Let’s jump right in.

Make It a Free Event

A company retreat should be a stress-free and informal event that focuses on personal and professional growth in a fun way.

Since a retreat is a business trip, the entire event should be free to all attendees. Offering a free trip does two major things; Shows your employees you care and lets them enjoy themselves without stressing over finances.

Choose Your Location Wisely

Many companies choose to host retreats at entertaining places like a campground, beach,or scenic area.

Pitching tents at a campground offers great team building opportunities that some might find exciting.

Renting a beach house will help your team focus on unwinding.

Scenic areas are perfect for finding motivation and peace.

Additionally, you could rent multiple rooms in a hotel where guests can swim, work-out, and enjoy the spa. The hotel will have meeting rooms to use for team activities and some have a bar and restaurant for meals.

If your concern is creating a comfortable retreat, any of these options will suffice.

No Formal Wear Allowed

Make it a point that all employees are equal while on this retreat by creating a non-formal dress code.

It would be hard to get comfortable if your boss shows up in a suit and tie; it would feel like you were still at work.

Provide Separate Rooms

If you decide to go the hotel route, it is essential that all employees have their own rooms.

The only thing worse than sharing a room with strangers is sharing a room with colleagues you don’t know on a personal level.

Business hotels offer conjoining rooms, group discounts and will have more than enough rooms available if you plan early. Hotel Engine is a great platform to use when looking for the perfect business hotel.

Play Games and Do Activities

Playing games with your team is one of the best ways to help them loosen up and feel comfortable.

You can start the retreat with some fun ice-breakers and add other activities throughout the trip.

Some fun activities include:

• A company talent show
• Team sports
• Charades
• Karaoke
• Fishing
• A funny award ceremony
• A serious award ceremony

Any games or activities that get people talking, laughing and enjoying themselves will not only make your employees comfortable but help them bond as well.

Bar Tickets

If your employees are of legal drinking age, consider serving alcohol.

Alcohol helps nearly everyone loosen up and it might just be one of the most useful tools utilized during the trip. However, you want your employees to be comfortable, not drunk, so there must be a drink limit.

Ensure nobody gets too intoxicated by offering tickets that can be exchanged at the bar for free drinks. Two tickets daily seems to be the safe number provided to each employee.

Get Some Exercise

Getting physically active is one of the best things you can do for your mental health.

Activities like taking a hike, playing sports, and swimming will give your team a boost of serotonin and leave them feeling rejuvenated and relaxed.

Tensions are generally highest at the beginning of a retreat, so consider starting the event with a physical activity to help put everyone in a comfortable mind set.

Creating an Agenda

Creating an agenda for a company retreat is key to having a productive and successful event. It can help set expectations, provide structure, and create a meaningful experience. An effective agenda should consider the agenda of the company as well as that of the participants.

When creating an agenda for a company retreat, it is important to dedicate time for activities that engage attendees and foster meaningful connections. This may include opportunities for team building, project management review, or creative exercises such as storytelling or problem solving games. Depending on goals of the retreat and availability of resources, outdoor activities or technical workshops can also be included to encourage creativity and increase engagement levels among participants.

Additionally, while some time should be left available during the retreat to allow people to do different activities that they enjoy or need at their own pace (yoga class, massage reservation etc.), it is important to make sure regular checkpoints such as group breakfasts and dinners are part of the schedule in order to encourage team building activities like having meals together or playing board games at night.

Finally, it is key to have multiple short breaks throughout the day so that everyone has time to relax while being able process conversations they have just had. Breaks like this can also give participants more flexibility when planning their daily routines accordingly if needed..

Learn Something New Together

Learning a new skill together is a fantastic way to help your employees feel comfortable.

In the workplace, we always have someone more experienced or has more power in the company than us, which is why getting comfortable can be such a difficult task; sometimes it is hard to remember that the more experienced individuals are still equals on a human level.

Taking on a new skill together, such as archery or nature identification helps the team feel equal since everyone will be a beginner together. These activities are humbling and enjoyable which is a great recipe for comfort.