Team building is an integral step for company growth, especially for organizations implementing hybrid and fully remote work setups. As the name suggests, team-building events foster a more robust organizational structure. It allows individuals to come together and build stronger relationships, increase productivity, encourage creativity, and boost motivation. Want to know how you can plan a fun and engaging team-building event in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)? Check out the six tips below:
1. Know Your Employees
When planning a company event, the first thing you need to consider is your audience. Team building is no different.
Since the corporate retreat you are planning is for your employees, you must make sure you know who they are and what they require.
Don’t just decide to fly them abroad just because it’s the first thing that comes to mind. Instead, consider whether it’s something that your employees need.
Is it to collaborate better with other departments? Or perhaps it would help improve communication within the office?
Make sure you factor in the learning opportunities as well.
To be sure, survey what skills your employees must improve or issues they want addressed. It also helps if you pay attention and observe them at work to get a good grasp of their needs.
2. Define the Event Goals
Before choosing destinations for your team building in Abu Dhabi, you must first identify your “why.” These are the specific goals you want to achieve through the event.
Your goals will also dictate the direction of the endeavor and the activities you can choose, so think it through thoroughly.
Want to improve teamwork among your employees? Consider planning something that will help them get to know each other better. You can also include tasks that require their collaborative effort.
Once you’ve decided on the goals, inform all the participants through email or conduct a meeting to discuss the upcoming team-building event. Letting them know the purpose of the gathering will help boost their interest in the event.
3. Pick the Right Activities
Aside from the event goals, knowing what kind of activities appeal to the participants also will help improve the success rate of your company retreat.
To do this, you need to break down your goals into the following broad strokes:
- Raising awareness of personality styles, roles, and issues
- Establishing stronger relationships by addressing problems, building trust, and improving individual performance
- Honing collaborative skills like active listening, communication, and process improvement
Besides these categories, you can also narrow down your team-building event options by choosing something that encourages healthy competition and fosters learning. Don’t forget to consider whether everyone can enjoy the activity without sacrificing anyone from the group.
Aside from that, you should also consider the time available for the event. Don’t squeeze in too many tasks within a single day (more on this below).
4. Set Aside Enough Time for Each Activity
When drafting a timeline for your corporate retreat, avoid scheduling the activities too closely together. No matter how much you want to cover, you need to ensure enough time is allotted for each activity.
Take off-site activities, for instance. Since the venue is someplace other than the worksite, the time needed to perform all tasks may require anywhere between half a day and a few days. This will also cover travel time on top of the actual activity.
You’ll need a minimum of half a day if what you have planned is a simple recreational task. But if you’re going to have facilitated activities like outdoor challengers, you’ll need more than one day.
When preparing a team-building schedule, allocate time for your employees to enjoy the venue. Otherwise, there’s no point in choosing an unusual or beautiful place that the participants won’t be able to enjoy anyway.
5. Take the Event Outside the Office
Although a team-building event can be done inside the office, it won’t be as effective and engaging as an off-site affair.
For optimum results, you need to invest in a separate venue that will spark excitement and interest among your people. Even if it’s just a small meeting room, having the company engagement away from their workplace gives them something to look forward to.
Want to take your team-building event to the next level? Consider booking a business jet charter to bring your team out of town for a more memorable corporate retreat.
6. Delegate Tasks
Many company leaders take on more tasks than they can handle because they worry about the success of the endeavor. But, in reality, this can be more counterproductive.
The lesson? Never underestimate the power of delegation.
You’re more likely to make mistakes if you’re juggling several priorities. To avoid this, let other staff members do some or all of the legwork. This will allow you to focus on planning and organizing the event.
Delegating tasks to some of your employees not only eases your workload but also ensures that everyone is invested and fully engaged in the trip. By doing this, you also show them your willingness to trust them with something important, help develop their skills in event planning and cultivate positive company culture.
Engage Your Team
Planning a team-building event requires ample knowledge of the participants, your goals, and the activities that suit them.
Organize your company retreat using the tips listed here and find the perfect way to engage your team.