Company outings are supposed to be enjoyable and promote a strong company culture. Unfortunately, the opposite tends to be true when employees feel obligated to go to an event that’s not interesting, lacks opportunity, or feels forced. Whether you’re trying to make your company culture stronger or delight your employees into working overtime, here are three events that will satisfy everyone.
Have A Beach Or Mountain Day
The Office got it right when it had a beach day. Unfortunately, the execution was a little off. Michael Scott’s award-winning personality and tactics aside, holding team-building games and activities can strengthen your culture, but downtime needs to make an appearance.
Not everyone likes trivia and charades and these types of games can get a little hostile when people feel like they’re being pointed or left out, or they can’t think of the response that others are thinking about. Nonetheless, a beach or mountain day (depending on where you live) allows your employees to get out of the office and bask in the great outdoors (which is good for your health). If you don’t live by the beach or mountains, then a park, lake, or other outdoor areas will work.
Incorporate activities that highlight teamwork, but also add a dash of freedom. If you decide on a mountain day, then you can do a group hike for exercise or pick a landscape that your employees won’t be able to take their eyes off of. A happy balance between organized activities and free time will win your employees over.
Volunteer
Volunteering helps people give back while connecting them to others and benefiting their minds and bodies. You can really get your team involved by letting them choose a cause that’s dear to them. If you choose the cause without feedback or input, then it might feel like you’re prioritizing your interests.
You can also hold a charity event at the office (outdoors for bonus points) and implement light up party favor and decoration ideas. For example, you can blanket the office with holiday decorations and make your holiday office party really special by incorporating a charity drive or another volunteering idea.
The point of a company outing isn’t to throw a company outing—it needs a purpose and volunteer work provides the perfect one.
Vote On It
Every office culture is different. You can’t always implement universal tactics because “universal” doesn’t take everything into account. If you really want to satisfy your employees and delight them into working overtime, then let them vote on a company outing.
Options can include sporting events or shows. While you want your employees to decide on the event, it’s important to give them options. By all means, search the internet for “broadway shows new york” to give your employees an enjoyable and artsy option while showing them how much your company is willing to do for them. An outing such as a show highlights the arts, shows appreciation, and brings your team together.
While this outing consists of your employees deciding on what they want to do, it’s important to give your employees healthy and meaningful options. Company happy hours might be popular and they can work, but they’re not always the healthiest option. That said, the entire purpose of “vote on it” is to let your employees decide on what they want to do.
As a friendly reminder, company outings should be meaningful. Having one just to have one is a waste of everyone’s time and it surely won’t incentivize your team to work overtime.
