We often hear about businesses organizing trips to the beach or the theater for their staff, but how often do you hear about a company sending their team abroad for a holiday?
Though not commonplace, large organizations including Automattic regularly fly staffers out to a foreign location to boost morale and reward hard-working staff.
Thinking about following suit but don’t know where to go? To give you a helping hand, we’ve put together some of the reasons a European vacation for your team makes sense…
Take people out of their comfort zone
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of taking your staff on a European vacation is to take them out of their comfort zone. It’s all well and good hosting a confidence-building workshop in your office canteen or taking staffers to the local zoo for a training day, but those locations are pretty mundane. Having to pack a bag and step on a plane halfway around the world will encourage your staff to “leave their troubles behind” and think about things differently.
Boosts morale and job satisfaction
Dangling a carrot is a great way to get teams to come together and work harder, especially if you’re in the run-up to a busy time, like launching a new app or preparing for Christmas as an e-commerce company. Promise your team a reward for their dedication and let them know that they’ll need a passport – they’ll soon turn up for work every day with a smile on their face, ready to give their all and impress their managers to ensure they’re rewarded.
Can help to build teams and relationships
Without the distractions of office politics and home life to get in the way, taking your team to another country will encourage them to get to know each other as human beings rather than colleagues and perhaps even become friends, quickly discovering common interests. What’s more, companies like Barcelonina offer teambuilding in Barcelona, organizing fun events for businesses, like wine tours, market experiences and historical walks, that are designed to promote teamwork and problem-solving – great if you’re struggling to bring people together.
Great transport links
If you’ve got staffers around the world who rarely get to see one another, hosting an event in the ‘middle of the world’ makes sense. There are excellent transport links to cities like Paris and Barcelona, so your team from the United States and Australia can both meet in the middle without one having to travel more than the other. This can lower costs and serve as a middle ground between two teams; both have to stay in hotels and experience a new city and culture, rather than one serving as the host and having the upper hand during an event.
Organizing a vacation for your entire team will no doubt require significant planning and a sizeable budget, but the benefits are endless, breeding loyalty and increased productivity. Consider making the journey and see how it impacts your business. Safe travels!
