Why do company outings

Lots of businesses like to do team excursions. Some places go out for an afternoon of laser tag, others try their skills in escape rooms, and some go for the more traditional dinner and drinks thing.

The benefits of these outings have been well studied: by taking employees out of the office and encouraging fun and socialization, the team grows stronger overall. Recently, Shopivo stepped out of the office for an afternoon of axe throwing and pizza.

Here are the 5 unexpected benefits we learned about company outings:. Shopivo is a fairly small company. We have just over 20 team members, divided into different departments.

Those departments include editors, IT, HR, accounting, social media yours truly and more. However, shortly after beginning to toss axes at targets, the fun of the excursion took over and we began to mingle freely.

Gather your employees for a company event and see these four benefits:. Employees want to work for companies where they feel engaged and empowered.

In fact, companies with engaged employees make 2. What does your company stand for? What are its core values? Put those values into action with a company event. If you say your focus is on loyalty, honesty, dependability, or efficiency, show that to your employees. A corporate culture can be fun, creative, collaborative, supportive, and much more. Well-planned company events can become part of what your company is known for and play a role in recruiting new employees.

People want to work at a place that lives up to its mission statement and makes an effort to reward and validate its employees.

Company events and award ceremonies can be very effective in validating employees. You can give employees awards for their performance or for how they exemplify the culture and values. Employees receiving the awards will get the recognition they deserve. Plus, they will feel like they are making an impact for the company. These awards will make your employees feel valued and important.

That will do wonders for productivity in your office. Bring in your best clients and employees for a company celebration. Everyone loves to be acknowledged for their work. It allows employees to relax, have fun, and know they are valued. Everyone wants to feel appreciated, and a company event is a great way to celebrate the successes of individual employees, teams, and the company.

Engaged employees are an active part of the company culture. Company events help employees feel engaged because they are valued and can see the bigger picture. Instead of just being stuck in their cubicles, they can connect with the rest of the company. They can see the importance of their position and the time and energy that went into the event.

Even something as small as a company lunch or picnic can lead to a major boost in engagement. Company events are a great way to bring your team closer together. Team building events can break down walls and barriers in the workplace. Cohesive teams are more productive and creative. Plus, having a friend or strong team at work makes employees more excited to come to work and put their best effort into a project. You can diminish this gap by providing everyone with a place outside of work to get to know each other.

Team building activities help employees see their bosses as peers rather than unapproachable authorities. These relationships can work magic in the office. Instead of being in a high-stress or formal work environment, company events allow employees to connect with their bosses on a human level. Company events allow everyone to relax. These situations show that leaders are normal and allow them to connect with employees. Instead of worrying about saying the right thing in front of their boss, employees can focus on having fun and seeing leaders in a new light.

It goes both ways—leaders can also see employees and understand who they are outside of the office. Employees can relax and enjoy time building relationships with each other.

Talking and spending time together outside the office can be a major boost in teamwork. The bonds employees make at company events transfer back to the office. Employees sit in neighboring cubicles for plus hours a week, but they might not really know their co-workers. Company events allow the walls to come down. Co-workers can connect in a new way and might find personal similarities with their colleagues they never knew. Such casual occasion frees up the employees to be just the way they are, there is no limitation to keep in touch with the colleagues.

An article from Mashable points out that hierarchy goes out of the window as these types of event. A company outing lets workers get to know each other better regardless of the position they hold in a company.

This clearly creates a stronger team and boosts productivity to bring about overall benefit. Refreshing outings like company lunches and nights out had a great effect on employee engagement, as they will feel nurtured and belong to the organization.

If your recent company already holds regular outings, then optimize the activities to effectively create the team bonding and engagement. Whatever your outing activity, the main point is that all the employees could enjoy and pick up some valuable benefits to their working performance.