Northwest Staffing Blog

As an employment firm serving employers in Snohomish and Skagit counties, we’ve seen the many benefits offered by company retreats. However, retreats require careful planning in order to be a success.

Here’s what you need to know to when planning a retreat:

Select the right site for the retreat.
Retreats can be held on-site at your company, or off-site. Obviously retreats held on-site are far less expensive, whereas off-site retreats tend to encourage more creative thinking.

Define the objectives of your retreat.
What are you hoping to accomplish? Some issues you may want to consider during your retreat include:

• In what direction is our company headed?
• How are current industry and economic trends impacting our company?
• Are we succeeding in creating the right image for our company?
• Are we meeting our company’s corporate objectives?

Or you may simply want to hold a general teambuilding retreat in order to build stronger relationships with and among your employees.

Develop an agenda for your retreat.
Once your objectives are carefully defined, figure out how you want to structure the retreat. Should it be a no-nonsense event, or should it include some fun and play? Also, be sure to distribute the agenda prior to the retreat so that participants arrive eager and prepared, rather than apprehensive.

Consider hiring a facilitator.
A facilitator can help make your retreat more productive and effective by assisting attendees in gathering data, enhancing group participation, and being an objective voice without any vested interest in the outcome.

Keep a record of the event.
Make sure you record the decisions made, goals and objectives set, and assignments handed out. This record will be invaluable during the implementation process.

Evaluate the retreat.
After the event, solicit feedback from the participants about the retreat and the outcomes. Any feedback provided – whether positive or negative – will be helpful in planning the next retreat.