Corporate away days have become a common feature of team-building in the modern workplace. But why are they important? Here are 8 reasons why you should consider booking a corporate away day for your team.
1. Corporate away days dedicate time to focus on a specific problem.
A corporate away day provides the benefit of dedicated time away from the office to focus on the problems, pain points or challenges facing your team.
At Cambray, we often use the mantra, 'If you're multi-tasking, you're multi-failing.'
Research into multi-tasking shows that multi-tasking hinders productivity, high-level thinking and performance. By setting aside time in a corporate away day, you're making a commitment to put your full energy and capacity into improving or optimising your team.
This ensures that your team will give their full attention to the exercise - without getting distracted by the pressures of work.
2. Corporate away days create a safe space to deal with problems constructively.
A corporate away day creates a safe, low-pressure environment in which to focus on problems, challenges and setbacks in a non-threatening, non-criticising way.
The workplace often creates or imposes a short-term, task-focused mentality that is needed to complete work . You should additionally consider that negative associations can also develop between your team and the workplace, such as office politics or stress.
Away days take your team out of the workplace and allow them to get some space needed to problem-solve with a long-term view in mind.
3. Corporate away days improve workplace and team relationships.
Corporate away days help to break down barriers and walls in your team, making your team members more approachable and more collaborative.
It is inevitable that some negative relationships can be formed in the workplace. Your team won't always see eye to eye, and you can guarantee that not everyone will get on with each other 100% of the time.
When workplace disagreements and clashes arise, team members can develop an 'enemy image' of their co-workers. This perpetuates a negative atmosphere and causes people to work in silos rather than collaboratively. Research also shows that a negative workplace environment harms productivity and performance.
Working, communicating and problem-solving in a low-pressure environment that doesn't involve work-oriented tasks provides a safe space for your team to break down 'enemy' images and learn to work together more constructively.
4. Corporate away days remind your team of a unified goal.
Corporate away days help to remind your team that everyone is working to a unified goal.
When team members work in silos, they can isolate themselves from their coworkers and lose sight of the overall direction of the team. Setting aside time to problem-solve and work together reminds people that they are working together towards a shared goal. Everyone wants the team to succeed and it can be important to remind all team members of this fact.
During a corporate away day, it can also be useful to remind the team of the top-level goals of the company, and where possible enable team members to become a part of shaping these goals. Fostering a sense of shared ownership and contribution within your team will show your employees that they are valued - and encourage employee buy-in and long-term commitment.
5. Effective corporate away days have a positive biological impact on the brain.
Research shows that stimulating the brain in an active, engaging way releases a positive chemical cocktail including serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins. These are the 'happy chemicals' that make you feel positive and content.
Taking part in activities during away days which stimulate these chemicals in the brain increases motivation, productivity, and wellbeing. They also stimulate creativity, innovation, and help to get the brain flowing.
This is important for the workplace, but it also creates a space for people to think creatively about problems that might be occurring in the team, and how to solve them.
6. Corporate away days improve team communication.
The main thing that our clients notice after undertaking a Cambray corporate away day is the resulting improved team communication.
It is far easier to challenge or improve communication skills in an environment that is safe, non-threatening, and low-pressure. When teams are away from their place of work, free from work-oriented tasks and deadlines, they feel much more able to communicate comfortably.
This environment makes it possible for our Cambray coach to analyse the language being used, and to introduce helpful strategies to improve team communication.
7. Corporate away days improve team culture.
Dedicated time during a corporate away day makes it possible to analyse the current team culture and lay the groundwork for introducing improvements. But why is a positive team culture important in the workspace?
A positive team culture creates a healthy and non-toxic work environment for your team. Additionally, research also shows that teams are much more productive, organised and receptive to implementing company strategies if the overall environment is positive.
Building on that last point, the legendary management consultant, Peter Drucker, stated that 'culture eats strategy for breakfast.' Here, Peter is not saying that strategy is unimportant. Simply that strategies implemented into a non-compliant and stifling atmosphere just aren’t going to work.
Corporate away days begin to implement a positive culture, constructed by your team and their needs, to encourage long-term team growth.
8. Corporate away days improve overall workplace performance.
Cost is often a major concern when considering whether to book a corporate away day. But the cost can also be viewed as an investment, more than reimbursed by the improved productivity your team will develop.
All of the benefits we have mentioned contribute to improved performance. Addressing problems in the team, improving communication, creating a positive culture and building healthy relationships makes members of the team more approachable, increasing the speed of work as well as boosting performance. Uniting your team towards a common goal increases employee buy-in and creates a positive cocktail of brain chemicals that stimulates creativity and growth.
What's not to like about all of that?
Need more advice on corporate away days?
At Cambray, our training department have decades of hands-on experience in running corporate away days as well as a whole host of other training and coaching services.
Our away days are run in a beautiful hotel, situated in the countryside in the heart of the Cotswolds. This relaxed atmosphere provides the perfect backdrop for your team to team-build, problem solve and grow.
For more information, or to discuss how we can help with your specific requirements in more detail book a free 30-minute consultation with one of our trainers today. Alternatively, fill out the contact details below to receive a call from one of our experts.