COMPANY RETREATS
Not all company retreats are created equal. If done correctly, company retreats have the power to reaffirm your team’s mission and return leaders refreshed. There is important work that goes into planning a retreat correctly.
PROS
Pre-planning is a crucial step in order for the retreat to be a success. It is essential to have mutually agreed upon goals prior to the retreat. Learning with your colleagues allows you to create a distinct relationship. Being a part of a company 
retreat allows you to bond with your fellow employees and deepen your relationship in a changed environment.On business retreats, employees have time to use this as a learning experience and connect about topics that they typically would not be able to. This is a time to not only celebrate the success of the business but advance as well. Brandon Dempsey, marketing expert, discusses company retreats in Forbes Magazine, “Get it right, and you’ll embolden and unify your team. Get it wrong, and you’ll end up spending money for employees to have a day off, or worse, your team will come away less motivated than before.”
CONS
It is imperative for employees to value their time on the company retreats. Each employee invited should know that the retreat is not a free vacation. Common mistakes include not having set goals prior to the company retreat. Customarily, it is in the hands of the leaders of the business to organize the company retreat, including all of the work beforehand. Many leaders are unaware of the work that comes after the retreat – wrap up services, meetings, note taking, and a full summary report.
A retreat needs to be committed to being meaningful, fun, and most importantly, productive. If the retreat does not follow these guidelines as planned, employees could potentially return to work less motivated than before. The price of a corporate retreat has to be worth the outcome. If your leaders and employees are not following the same strategic direction, this is a misuse of corporate money.
FORGE
Frank Vitale, MBA references Charles Dickens while discussing the pros and cons of company retreats “Company retreats are a tale of two cities. They can help build teams, reaffirm culture, and values. They can build bonds between participants; it’s a chance to refresh and rejuvenate your team. It can also be used for punishment”.
Forge Business Solutions, LLC is here to help with when it comes to planning. Pre-planning is the crucial step in company retreats. Many corporations do not know how to articulate their strategic plan, and this is where Forge comes in. The retreat facilitating services go hand in hand with strategic planning, if a company already has a plan in place. Retreats need to be used as the intended purpose so it is not regretted by the leaders. “We help companies develop business strategy utilizing retreat as a tool. This practice can be very helpful to companies based on our own corporate experience.” If your company would benefit from a retreat vision session or a strategic action plan, visit our website: forgebz.com.