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Struggling to keep your team connected and engaged in a remote-first world? You’re not alone. These company retreat planning strategies will get your team back on track.
As companies continue to navigate the challenges of the newly normalized concept of remote work, the need to foster genuine connections has become more important than ever. One of the most effective—and often overlooked—ways to achieve this is through company retreats.
At Yeti, we’ve experienced firsthand the transformative power of bringing the team together in person. Before the pandemic, Yeti thrived as an in-person team; brainstorms happened spontaneously, collaboration came easily, and building camaraderie was a daily occurrence. However, when the lockdowns made it clear that shifting to a fully remote model would be incredibly beneficial to our company in most ways, it wasn’t long before we realized just how much we missed those everyday interactions.
To bridge that gap, we started hosting bi-annual retreats in inspiring locations across the country—from the music-filled streets of Nashville to the red rocks of Sedona, and the sunny pools of Palm Springs. But, despite the relaxing vibes, these retreats have become far more than just a getaway for us; they’ve become a crucial part of our company culture, helping us reconnect, recharge, and strengthen the bonds that make us a successful team.
In this article, we’re sharing our insights and experiences with company retreat planning , including our top strategies for organizing a retreat that truly revitalizes your team. By the end, you’ll be equipped with the tools and knowledge to create a retreat experience that strengthens team bonds, sparks creativity, enhances collaboration, and fosters long-term success
Company retreats offer a refreshing break from the daily grind, providing teams with a valuable opportunity to pause, reconnect, and reignite their collective vision, serving as powerful tools for enhancing team dynamics and driving success in meaningful ways. Here are a few key benefits to holding engaging company retreats.
Building and Strengthening Relationships
Remote work can sometimes lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection - and retreats are the perfect way to remedy that by creating a relaxed, personal setting where team members can interact more meaningfully. By providing opportunities team-building exercises, collaborative workshops, and shared experiences, retreats foster deep connections and break down barriers, laying the groundwork for a cohesive team that thrives even when working apart.
Reinforcing Company Culture
Maintaining a strong company culture can be challenging, especially with a dispersed team. Retreats provide an ideal environment to reinforce your company’s values, vision, and goals through engaging and interactive activities, providing the opportunity to remind everyone why they’re part of the team and what makes your company unique.
Encouraging Creativity and Innovation
Retreats also act as a catalyst for creativity and innovation. Stepping away from the usual work environment allows team members to think outside the box and approach problems from fresh perspectives. With activities like structured brainstorming sessions, collaborative workshops, and informal discussions in a new setting, the change of scenery and freedom from daily constraints can spark breakthrough ideas and inspire innovative solutions.
Company Planning and Brainstorming
In addition to socializing and team-building, retreats offer a prime opportunity for company-wide planning and brainstorming - with everyone present, it’s easier to gather diverse perspectives and develop more comprehensive and effective plans. For this reason, retreats provide a conducive environment for discussing long-term strategies, setting new objectives, and addressing company challenges.
Boosting Morale and Engagement
When employees feel valued and have the chance to unwind and recharge, it positively impacts their morale and engagement. A well-planned retreat demonstrates that the company cares about its team members' well-being, which can lead to increased loyalty and job satisfaction. Returning from a retreat feeling refreshed and appreciated can significantly enhance productivity and commitment.
When planning a company retreat, it's important to establish clear goals to ensure the time is both productive and meaningful. Without specific objectives, a retreat can easily become just a vacation or an unstructured gathering, missing the opportunity to create real value for your team and organization. If your primary goal is to strengthen team bonds, for example, you'll want to design activities and workshops that promote trust, collaboration, and camaraderie. If your goals are more focused on improving communication or fostering innovation, you'll need to incorporate structured activities that drive those outcomes.
At Yeti, we believe that one of the most impactful uses of a company retreat is to set, refine, and review our organizational goals. Our bi-annual retreats are more than just a break from the office—they are a critical part of our strategic planning process. These retreats provide us with the space and time to reflect on our progress, align our team around key objectives, and plan the initiatives that will drive our success in the coming months. Here's how we use our retreats to set and achieve our company goals.
At Yeti, our retreats are pivotal for setting and achieving our annual goals. The winter retreat focuses on establishing these goals and identifying projects to drive our progress, while the summer retreat is dedicated to reviewing our progress over the past six months and developing new projects to further advance our objectives. Here’s how our process works:
Step One: A Company-Wide Retrospective
Before setting our annual goals it's important for the team to discuss their thoughts on the companies current state, so our spring retreat kicks off with a company-wide retrospective. During the retro, each team member is invited to share their thoughts on where the company has succeeded, where it needs improvement, and what challenges were beyond our control. To allow everyone to contribute quickly and effectively, we gather the teams input using sticky notes.
Step Two: Evaluating Insights:
After the retrospective, the leadership team reviews the feedback and identifies the areas for improvement where we can make the most significant insight. Based on this analysis, four high-level annual goals are set, with each goal targeting a specific aspect of the company: (Sales/Marketing, Production, Culture, and Financial). These goals are intentionally broad, giving the team flexibility in how they approach achieving them.
An example of our 2024 goals:
Because our annual goals are quite broad, it’s necessary create actionable steps to achieving them. To do so, we create 6 month long internal projects, called rocks, that will move us closer to our goal. This is how we decide on the "rocks" projects that will allow us to bestreach our annual goals:
Step One: Brainstorming Session
With our annual goals defined, we move on to brainstorming how to achieve them. The team gathers and generates as many ideas as possible, each of which is written on a sticky note and placed on a whiteboard under the goals they correspond to. These ideas can be highly specific, such as “conduct monthly project retrospectives,” or broader initiatives like “enhance our social media presence.” The objective is to produce a wide range of actionable ideas.
Step Two: Formulating Rock Projects:
Once brainstorming is complete, the leadership team groups similar ideas together and creates four distinct internal projects, which we refer to as Rocks. Each Rock is designed to directly contribute to one of our annual goals. For example, under the goal of "Deliberate Marketing & Sales Growth," a Rock project might be to "Create a Yeti podcast."
Teams are then formed based on members’ preferences and the needs of each project. Over the next six months, these teams work on their Rocks, aiming to achieve specific, measurable outcomes by the time of our next retreat.
Our Fall retreat is very similar to the Spring retreat, minus the task of creating new annual goals.
During our summer retreat, each team presents the results of their Rock Projects. This review allows us to assess the progress made toward our annual goals and identify any areas that need further attention.
After reviewing the past six months, we repeat the brainstorming and Rock creation process to establish new projects for the remainder of the year. This continuous cycle of reflection, goal-setting, and project execution keeps our team aligned and motivated, ensuring that we make steady progress toward our long-term vision.
While strategic planning is a crucial part of our retreats, it’s important to remember that it shouldn’t be the only focus. A well-rounded retreat should also include activities that foster team bonding, enhance communication, and spark creativity. Here are some workshops and exercises that can help strengthen your team across these different areas:
Trust is the foundation of any successful team, and engaging in trust-building activities is a powerful way to cultivate it. These exercises can range from physical challenges, like a low-ropes course, to problem-solving tasks that require collaboration and mutual support.
One effective exercise is "Blindfold Navigation," where team members are paired up, and one person is blindfolded while the other guides them through a simple obstacle course using only verbal instructions. Another is the "Human Knot," where participants stand in a circle, grab hands with people across from them, and work together to untangle themselves without letting go. These activities break down barriers, encourage open communication, and build a sense of reliance on one another.
For a more involved and interactive experience, consider organizing a team cook-off. Divide the group into small teams, provide a set of ingredients, and challenge them to prepare a dish together. Cooking as a team promotes creativity, teamwork, and communication, all while offering a fun and engaging way to bond. If your retreat venue lacks a kitchen, many companies offer facilitated cooking workshops specifically designed for team-building exercises.
Effective communication is essential for a productive and harmonious team environment. By focusing on activities that enhance communication skills, you can help team members better understand each other’s perspectives and improve overall collaboration.
Active Listening
A valuable exercise to improve communication is active listening. In this activity, pair team members and have one person share a work-related challenge while the other listens attentively without interrupting. After the sharing, the listener paraphrases what they heard to confirm understanding. This practice sharpens listening skills, highlights the importance of clarity, and fosters empathy among team members. Following the exercise, engage the team in a group discussion to explore how these active listening techniques can be applied in daily work interactions.
Communication Styles Assessment
Another effective activity is a Communication Styles Assessment. Utilize tools such as the DISC Personality Assessment or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to help team members identify their own communication styles and learn how to adapt to others. After completing the assessment, hold a workshop where participants discuss their communication styles and their impact on work and collaboration. This exercise can improve team interactions by fostering a deeper understanding of individual differences and enhancing overall communication effectiveness.
Aligning personal values and aspirations with professional roles can significantly boost motivation, job satisfaction, and overall team cohesion. Incorporating activities focused on personal growth into your retreat helps individuals gain insights into their own development, enhances well-being, and strengthens connections among team members. Here are two effective activities to consider:
Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness and meditation can profoundly benefit both personal and professional life by promoting relaxation, focus, and mental clarity. We recommend including a 30-minute guided mindfulness session in your retreat. This can be led by a mindfulness coach or facilitated through a meditation app. Following the session, encourage participants to share their experiences and discuss how to incorporate mindfulness practices into their daily routines. This activity can help foster a more centered and focused team environment.
Personal Growth Goal-Setting
Fostering personal growth is crucial for a well-rounded and motivated team. Allocate time for team members to set personal growth goals related to health, hobbies, or self-improvement. Divide the group into small teams and have each person identify one or two personal goals they wish to achieve over the next few months. In their groups, participants should share their goals and collaboratively create actionable plans. Schedule regular check-ins to monitor progress, offer support, and celebrate milestones. This approach not only supports individual well-being but also promotes a culture of continuous improvement and work-life balance within the team.
Planning a successful retreat is all about striking the right balance to make sure it meets your organization’s goals while also being enjoyable for everyone involved. It’s not just about setting up productive sessions; it’s also about creating a space where people feel comfortable, safe, and excited to participate. This means choosing a great location that supports both work and relaxation, planning an agenda that hits the key objectives while leaving room for casual interactions, and including activities that foster team bonding and personal growth. Taking care of these details well ahead of time allows you to set the stage for a retreat that leaves everyone feeling motivated and ready to take on new challenges.
We’ve already written an entire guide to planning the perfect retreat, which you can read here, but here are a few quick tips on the steps you should take to plan a retreat that your team loves.
Consider the following when choosing a location that will work best for your retreat
A successful retreat balances work and play, so be sure to plan activities that allow for both. Depending on the length of your retreat, we’d recommend a combination of company-led workshops and fun and interactive bonding activities to break up the day.
When choosing activities it’s crucial that they are inclusive to the entire group. This means, ensuring that each team member is comfortable, able (and hopefully excited!) to participate in each of the activities you plan. Have someone terrified of heights? Don’t plan a rock climbing trip. Does anyone on your team have mobility issues? Perhaps it’s best to skip the hike.
Everyone needs to eat, so be sure to carefully plan each of your meals. Here are a few pointers for keeping your team happy and fed!
For more tips, including a deep dive into retreat planning gotchas, don’t miss Retreat Planning 101: Crafting an Unforgettable Team Bonding Experience!
Company retreats are more than just an opportunity to step away from the daily grind—they are essential for nurturing team dynamics, reinforcing company culture, and driving innovation. By bringing your team together in an inspiring setting, you create space for meaningful connections, creative problem-solving, and strategic alignment. The benefits of a well-planned retreat extend beyond the event itself, enhancing overall morale and productivity in the long run. With thoughtful planning and a focus on both work and play, you’ll set the stage for a transformative experience that fosters collaboration, strengthens bonds, and drives continued success.
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