A few months ago, I conducted a relatively informal survey in an attempt to discover the current state of play around team gatherings. I was curious to learn if companies were focusing on getting teams and people together again, if there was clear budgeting for these items, and, finally, if companies had any way of evaluating their success. What I found was:
- About half of companies are taking the time to do team gatherings again. There is no trend in terms of company size (some small companies are very committed to doing gatherings frequently, while others aren't, and the same is true for larger companies).
- Almost no one feels like they have a clear budget or budget guidance when they embark on planning these gatherings
- There is almost universally no way that these gatherings are being evaluated. Now, I'm not talking about asking people if they had a good time, how they would rate the experience, and those sorts of questions... that type of post-event survey is happening, but I'm talking about the bigger picture. Did the team walk away feeling more aligned? Did they truly create closer connections with others? What is something they learned? The questions that really help determine the business value of team gatherings.
Additionally, one interesting insight was that teams that are in person tend not to set aside these deeper focus days. The thought is that people see each other every day and therefore gatherings such as these aren't as necessary.
I've written posts in the past about not cancelling your offsite and how an offsite isn't a perk or benefit, but days become weeks and weeks become months and months become years. So... when was the last time that your team (team, department, company... however you want to define it) set their day to day work down and truly delved into larger topics and things they need to think more deeply about. And, if we can think about this at the leadership level (because, seemingly, regular and even frequent leadership offsites are still occurring), why is that same time and space not given to other levels of leadership or to groups of individual contributors. As we look back at the last few years, for many, the cancellation of gatherings due to COVID went right into the cancellation of gatherings due to spending constraints. Whether your team is in person every day or remote, connecting them to one another and allowing them to take a step back to solve key, critical problems means so much to them and to the business.
And I'll push even further... think of the last leadership offsite you had. Was it useful and valuable? Did you make the best use of your time? How could it have been better or different? And what changes are you making for next time to ensure the time is spent well?
So... when was the last time folks got together? And when will be the next time?
If you're eager to discover what an exceptional offsite looks like, have the ability to advocate for the budget to have an offsite today, or think about different ways to get your team together Book a free consultation call with me today. With a range of pricing options and levels of involvement, I'm here to help you get to GREAT. Whether you're seeking a complete overhaul of the traditional offsite format or looking to infuse your event with fresh, impactful elements, I can help guide you through this journey.
