Coming back from the long Fourth of July weekend can be tough - after a delicious day with loved ones, sunshine, and BBQ, getting a taste of the summery feeling can make it hard to jump back into work when you wish you could return to summer camp days. This makes it the perfect time to bring the summer camp to your employees and host an event that takes everyone outside to reconnect over fun and sweet surprises. Instead of switching back into work mode, bring work outside.
An annual office field day can be an incredible bonding experience that transforms office acquaintances into solid teammates, or it can feel awkward and forced. The key to creating any event is to plan accordingly, and Cultivate is here to show you how! Keep reading to consolidate your to-do list into 5 easy steps.
1. No Laptops Needed
There are countless benefits to holding a team-building or retreat day for your office, from improving morale and trust to finding creative problem-solving techniques. To maximize the benefits, make sure you remind everyone to leave the laptops at home and the email app closed. Remind your team that work will always be waiting for them after the event has ended and to enjoy the day ahead.
Even with that reminder, we know that the largest common denominator between everyone is work, so that conversation will naturally come up. However, when the priority is switched to enjoying each other’s company outside of the office or teaming up to win a karaoke contest, they are more likely to have natural conversations. This will improve and clear up employee intercommunication better than a morning spent clearing the inbox.
2. Pick your location + activities strategically
Consider your setting carefully when investing your resources into a team-building activity. Even with all the amazing things planned for your day out of the office, there will always be some who are bewildered by the change of pace. So, find a large enough space like a park to have areas for activities for everyone like frisbee, relay races, de-stressing meditation, and a picnic zone to indulge in treats and cheers to everyone’s hard work.
Make sure to have something for everyone or alternatives from a main activity so that everyone can feel welcome and enjoy the day. Or, if you want to plan an all-day activity like a local scavenger hunt, prepare tasks that people of all mobility and energy levels can participate in, especially when considering holding an outdoor event on a hot, sunny day.
3. Nourish Everyone
When you’re bringing people out on a day filled with activity, make sure you’re keeping up their energy by providing plentiful food and beverages for everyone. No one wants to put together a meal with scraps from a spread of food they don’t like or can’t eat. Or worse, shorting your meal budget with pre-made, bland charcuterie and fruit platters from the grocery store that bakes under the sun in their plastic containers.
The best host is one that keeps people's plates and glasses full, so be sure to consider options, restaurants, or caterers that have an assortment of offerings for everybody. When you find a delicious spread for your event, you’re channeling the olfactory response to make your retreat an incredible memory for all the senses. Like a midsummer Thanksgiving, the satisfaction of your team coming together to indulge in a delicious meal with each other substantiates all your efforts in appreciating your team.
4. Make time to bring everyone together
Perhaps after a yummy meal or in between high-paced activities to slow things down, set aside a time when you bring everyone together to lead a reflection on your collective contributions to the team and their overall goals. While we all know the benefits of the general fun of activities outside of the office, field days or team retreats are prime opportunities to rehumanize your teammates outside of focusing on work productivity.
This is a time to reconnect your team, especially those that are normally in hybrid/remote environments, and build links across departments, ages, and communication styles with a new perspective. This may help them feel more comfortable with their coworkers and encourage them to share more ideas at work, which may improve their overall workflow.
5. Thank people for their involvement with gifts they’ll love.
The key to making a memorable experience for your entire team is to give them something that not only reminds them of the day and your appreciation but something that they’ll actually use. It’s no use gifting a branded hat that will certainly remind your employees of their workplace, so much so that they never wear it outside of work. Cultivate can create On-Site or Online Gifting Suites to sprinkle fun, creative ways to shower your employees with appreciation as they’re enjoying their field day. As prizes for an obstacle course or an incentive to employees dragging their feet to participate, creating a way to select a premium gift of their choosing is the perfect way to thank your entire for their engagement in the office or during the water balloon toss.
When you partner with Cultivate, you’re teaming up with a Gifting Expert who gets to know your company, team, and goals. We keep people and their interests at the forefront of our minds as we create a collection or Gifting Program that is the cherry on top of your summer team-building event - and these prizes are much better than the ones you won at summer camp! To learn more now, connect with us!
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