What Should a Team Away Day Achieve?

A team away day should have a lasting positive impact on your employees. Away days don't have to be costly to be effective, it's all about how you cultivate the atmosphere. Employees really appreciate the time away from the office and a chance to socialise, getting to know one another better and becoming closer as a team.

Your team away day should involve an element of training, even if it's the soft skills of communication, problem solving and delegation. The training doesn't have to be specifically related to your industry either, it's all about developing more well-rounded employees. Soft skills are every bit as important as job-related skills, so make it more 'fun' than 'formal learning'.

Your away day should also re-energise and motivate people, because that motivation is carried back to the office and the effect can last for weeks. Increased motivation can lead to greater productivity and creativity, so any time lost to a day out the office is more than recouped by the positivity your team returns with.

Finally, team bonding. No company can function without team cohesion. When people are pulling in different directions, or when there are simmering tensions, everyone suffers. Away days are supposed to create that bond between team members, allowing them to get to know one another on a more personal level, rather than simply as colleagues.

Your away day should achieve all three of these things to be successful. Away days need to have an element of fun and bring people together, so plan in advance and give people a chance to let their hair down.