How to Throw a Company Retreat that Everyone Will Enjoy
With more studies proving that working under less stressful conditions results in increased productivity, more companies have resorted to retreats and offsite activities to ease the working pressure. For most employees, however, a retreat is just an ordinary day off accompanied by some boring team building activities. The planning team, on the other hand, is faced with the challenge of coming up with exciting activities to be done during the company’s corporate retreat.
With the right retreat ideas and planning, a company retreat can be fun, memorable, and productive. If you are wondering what exactly you should do to throw a corporate retreat that everyone will enjoy, here is your ultimate guide.
Hold a Welcome Party
Everyone is excited over a corporate retreat. However, some employees may not be sure whether the retreat is even worth it or not. Others may be new in the company, and they are not familiar with the rest of the employees.
That is why a welcome party is an ideal ice breaker. The party will set the tone for the rest of the retreat. You can have a get-together meal and let everyone socialise and get to know each other. This is a great way to reduce tension from the workplace.
Plan for a Fitness Retreat

One of the most amazing activities that can be incorporated in a corporate retreat is the fitness and yoga retreat. If you are holding your retreat in Bali, for example, then you can join a fitness retreat in Bali, which will allow your team to have fun, network, as well as achieve their fitness goals.
Bali has the most picturesque scenery that will light up your retreat. These range from tropical beaches, a great mountain view, and the region’s natural wonder. Your workouts here can only get better. Joining a fitness retreat in Bali will give you a chance to work out in the outdoor and enjoy the natural beauty of the place. The good thing about the Bali fitness retreat program is that it is accommodative to individuals of all fitness levels. Everyone will fit in.
Have an All-round Team Building Retreat

When planning for a team-building retreat, you should be aware that you have individuals with distinctive traits on board. Your company comprises of extroverts and introverts, the shy and the adventurous, and your planning should accommodate all of them.
Introverts will likely shy away from team building activities. However, you can creatively develop activities that cater to the introverts as well as the extroverts. For example, silent games and games that require answers to be given in the form of writing rather than speaking out would make the introverts more comfortable.
Make Plans for Voluntary Activities

Voluntary activities are a great way to enhance bond among employees. You can organise a charity event and get the employees to volunteer. Although not everyone is philanthropic at heart, volunteering to help humanity is a great way to instil value amongst different employees.
You can volunteer to assist in cooking for the homeless, work at an animal farm, or to visit the sick in a nearby hospital. If you are retreating around an area that allows tree planting, then you can have your team plant several trees around that region.
Break Departmental Barriers
Departments often have a hard time working together, and you do not want to extend that to your corporate retreat. Ensure that you do not create teams based on company departments. Merge departments and rename the groups using animal names, colours, geographical landmarks, or even regions through which your company operates. This way, the various teams from different departments in your company can come together in an activity.
Have Fun

Corporate retreats are often associated with boredom due to traditional team building activities and icebreakers that are consistently used across every company. You can, however, replace such tasks with fun activities. For example, you can plan to play volleyball on the beach or have a group kayak tour.
You can also arrange for a hike or an excursion of the nearby natural habitation. You can also explore the nearby city together, where you get to visit museums, galleries, or even watch a game together. Such activities are only ideal if the retreat is taking place offsite, away from the office.
How About a Game Night?

Gaming will work well for your retreat, especially if you have game enthusiasts amongst your employees. You can set apart a game night where various teams and individuals compete in playing chess, cards, computer games, or a pool table game. You can request people to bring along with them their favourite games. Games are not only fun to play in teams, but they also strengthen bonds as well as enhance mental skills.
Final Thoughts
Without proper planning, corporate retreats can be exhaustive and ultimately be less productive. And even when you have figured out which activities to incorporate in your retreat, it is essential to know that people are different, and they will respond to every activity differently. But most importantly, you should have a well-balanced set of fun activities that will leave every employee fulfilled.