Why Inclusive, Well-Designed Team Retreats Matter More Than Ever
By Viva Asmelash and Michael Gregor
Based on your past experiences, the term, “annual company retreat” likely conjures all sorts of images. For some it might be fun memories away from daily pressures; enjoying good times, parties on boats, and open bars in some tropical location. For others, it might be seemingly endless days and slightly awkward dinner conversations with people you’d never befriend outside of work. Then there are the many whose identities and sensibilities were never considered in the design of the traditional annual retreat. Jam-packed agendas for people who require or desire downtime. Active team excursions that those in leadership like, but that impede on the comfort levels and/or physical limitations of others. An avalanche of microaggressions for the few BIPOC and/or queer teammates, without the common office options for making a quick getaway. While all this is happening, sometimes there are also no clear or thoughtful objectives being communicated, and definitely no power-sharing in the design process. For all these reasons and more, the traditional annual company retreat felt less and less vital in the years leading up to COVID.
As we know, the pandemic has changed everything about how we live and work — and recent layoffs and economic anxiety have had a big impact on team morale. It’s time we dust off the employee engagement practices of the past and see them through a fresh lens. Lately, you may have seen or heard that “on-sites are the new off-sites.” We — especially us with decision-making power — have the opportunity to proactively design and plan for the new normal of post-pandemic life. To that end, rethink which in-person touchpoints best serve your team, mission, and strategic goals. Whether your team is fully back in the office, working in hybrid mode, or fully distributed/remote, requiring employees to turn up in person with no thoughtful outcomes or tactics in mind (AKA: the why and how) does a disservice to your engagement efforts, inclusion hopes, and team synergy over time.
Here are a few more reasons that now’s the time to re-envision in-person offsites or onsites:
Many organizations have had significant turnover and shifting of roles and responsibilities, without time to absorb, reflect on, and process those changes together, face-to-face
On the same note, there are new hires who, beyond a few independent onboarding tasks, have not been truly welcomed onto your team and have no meaningful reference points yet for your culture, who their colleagues are, and how their work contributes to the larger context of your business
If you’re like most companies we work with, chances are you have a strategic goal around talent acquisition and retention, employee experience, and/or employer branding. The data don’t lie: Gartner says the business sector could see a turnover rate as high as 24% in the years to come. Gallup estimates that the cost of replacing an employee is one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary.
In-person experiences are the ideal setting to demonstrate what inclusion, equity, and power-sharing actually feel like
We’d like to offer five key actions to support your planning for your next team retreat:
Root in your mission. Don’t assume people already feel a deep or true connection to your organizational mission. Be intentional with engagement around your mission and values. Allow time and space for everyone to reflect on and develop new, personal inspiration for the work you do together in the world, and your unique, daily roles in bringing your collective purpose to life.
Create new norms, together. We’re big fans of equitable design-thinking and reflecting on what is and isn’t working about your current communication and collaboration tactics is much better done outside of Slack. Your team has likely defaulted to unspoken norms that are causing confusion, potentially hindering your understanding of one another and your overall productivity. Use this time to agree to new expectations, and schedule a time you’ll revisit them to tweak them as needed.
Provide meaningful moments for people to learn and grow. While we know that remote work options offer more flexibility and accessibility for teammates of different needs and identities, we also know that without thoughtful planning, remote work can hinder traditional routes to professional development — especially for those early on in their careers. It’s crucial to have clear and documented pathways for advancement for those who desire it. In-person learning moments can be a powerful launching pad for these pathways and the conversations that’ll ensure they’re followed up on when everyone gets back home!
Build community. Building authentic personal relationships and mutual respect with our colleagues matters. Ironically, of everything companies do to improve employees’ lives and promote their happiness, social well-being is the aspect they invest in the least, according to a Gallup survey of CHROs of the world’s largest companies. Dedicated time during in-person retreats can build foundations for positive working relationships by creating shared reference points and experiences. These connections bolster communication and work satisfaction year-round, especially when challenging issues arise. Collaborators who better understand each other will be more likely to see themselves as a team against a problem, rather than playing the blame game within the same function or across departments.
Align on strategic goals. We sometimes see annual strategic initiatives rolled out in a virtual setting by a select few people, with no space for others to engage with or react to the information. Often this will be the first and last time most employees hear of those goals, until the following year when another set is presented in a similar way. In-person meetings are an ideal space for a meaningful and participatory approach to crafting or finalizing strategic initiatives. This lends itself to inclusive power-sharing in the best way, by giving everyone in the organization a role in designing the year ahead. We know this may not always be possible due to company size and/or time of year, so you can also leverage a retreat to reintroduce current annual goals. Design time to ask individuals or teams reflective questions about the goals, their specific roles in contributing to them, and what support or resources they need to more fully pursue them. As always, a session like this can and should be grounded in your organizational mission and values.
Can these goals be addressed virtually? Sure. At the same time, cultivating in-person space for this — free from distractions and competing priorities — shouldn’t be reserved for only those on the executive team. Making this available to everyone on an intentional schedule is an investment that yields impact across a range of things that employees deeply value.