How to get buy-in for team events
Want to get your director to agree to team events? Of course you do, who doesn’t love a team event! Here are some pointers you might want to bring up to help them understand your way of thinking, you’re welcome.
With decades of experience in creating team events, from Soap Box Derbys to Gala Dinners for hundreds, we know one thing – events really do work and your staff will LOVE them!!
One of the first things to do is to identify what kind of event you would like to run and why.
The most common categories are rewards and incentives – think incentive travel, gala dinners and more. Then there are team building days which could be anything from hiking and extreme sports through to murder mystery evenings or a beautiful cottage hired for the weekend. Finally – there are the events that do it all! Sometimes companies want to reward and recognise their teams, treat them as if it’s an annual event (like Christmas or a Summer party) or they simply feel that a bit of decompression is in order.
Most events will have the following attributes you can tell your manager or director about that will shine a spotlight on the great benefits that come as a result of initiatives like this.
Improved Communication: Team events allow team members to interact and communicate with each other outside of the work environment. This can improve communication skills and foster better collaboration and teamwork. When many teammates may have only met on Zoom or Teams, this is a real positive benefit to bring everybody together. Many studies show that it is these bonds of familiarity and friendship that keep people with a business for longer – which of course only has a positive impact on your recruitment costs and reduces the headache of rehiring. Getting people talking is key to retaining your team!
Team events can help stimulate creativity and innovation by encouraging team members to think outside the box and develop new ideas and solutions. This isn’t just at team events where the quest is to build a raft or create a car. Even if the event is simply a meal in a new area of town or an away day, there are small challenges, how to get there, what to wear, who is going – this all helps to spark conversations in the workplace.
Increased Motivation: Team events can help boost morale and motivation among team members. It gives them something to look forward to outside the norm and provides a break from the monotony of work. It starts with the very first seed of an idea or an announcement and carries right through to the event itself. Then there are photos and videos to share and the chatter after the event. An event is so much more than one day of value; you are getting weeks of goodwill and hard work!
Strengthened Relationships: Team events can help build stronger relationships among team members. This can lead to increased trust and respect, which can be beneficial in the workplace. This isn’t just about getting people on the same level to talk, but about opening up lines of communication from the top down. With senior leaders at events being seen to be human, people will become more confident and more willing to talk openly, share innovative ideas, give feedback and work hard. It’s a great way to show the real side of the company.
Improved Productivity: Team events can help increase productivity by promoting positive work culture and a sense of unity among team members. When there are in-jokes about the events, it can help make a stickier team. Those in jokes help form bonds and these help get more work done. Teams are more open to working with each other. Department lines become less rigid and easier to cross.
Increased Engagement: Team events can increase employee engagement by showing that their employer values their input and is willing to invest in their personal and professional development. Even if someone doesn’t like an event, there is a great sense of community that comes from even being invited, and a real show of commitment, both in the monetary and personal sense when you offer to give employees time off, or to pay for an event that benefits them. This engagement improvement can then be seen on how the teams perform. When it becomes clear that a company is willing to give to an employee, the relationship becomes easier, and staff feel valued for their contribution.
Fun and Enjoyable: Finally, team events are simply fun and enjoyable! They provide a break from work and allow team members to relax and have fun together. Work hard, play hard!! Why not let Motivates handle the hard work for you so you can simply enjoy the event with your team?
Take a look here at how we work to create amazing events for companies of all sizes, or download our brochure here.