As the year comes to an end, many businesses want to reward their employees for their hard work throughout the year. A group outing should be a fun way to reward your staff, help them get to know each other, and take a break from the stress of working over the past year. You don’t want to have these planned outings backfire, and aggravate your employees. Here are a few simple rules to follow when planning this year’s outing and ensure it is a success for everyone:

#1 Have a Purpose
Yes, you want to reward your employees with a fun outing, but you also want it to have meaning for your organization, this will also help you to convince your boss that spending the money is valuable both for the employee and the company.

Communicate with your team that the event is part of kicking off a new initiative or goal – it could be as simple as building excitement for the new year, working together as a team or celebrating a new product launch.

#2: Ask Your Employees What They Want To Do
Before you go scheduling a golf outing, find out if any of your employees play golf. Depending on the size of your company, you can feel people out individually or send out a quick survey. The last thing you want to do is spend money on an event no one wants to attend. You may not be able to please everyone, but your team will appreciate being included in the planning.

#3: Keep it Nearby
People have long commutes and families to get home to. They don’t want to have to drive hours out of their way for a company outing, no matter how much fun it is. Something close to work or centrally located to the neighborhoods of where most of your employees live is ideal for keeping travel time to a minimum.

#4: Schedule it During Working Hours
Often we spend more time with our coworkers than with our loved ones. Adding even more time to that after work for what should be a reward could seem like the opposite to some. Play it safe and have your outing during normal business hours, if at all possible. You’ll likely end up with a more engaged and happy group.

#5: Don’t Make Your Staff Pay
In Portland, Trailblazers and Timbers games are a popular option for company outings, but food and drink at the stadiums can be expensive. Give your team some spending money so they don’t feel like you’re costing them, or find an activity that doesn’t require your employees to spend any of their hard earned cash.

#6: Think Out of the Ordinary
An escape room experience at Escape Games PDX is not a typical night out. Your staff will be locked in a room, and given 60 minutes to work together to escape. It is a great bonding activity that requires leadership skills, teamwork, logic, and patience. Your team will have a great time working together, and it is ideal for both small and large groups.

Bringing your staff together for an outing has a lot of perks. Saying thanks for the hard work, and  unwinding with your staff is a great way to get them to open up at work and be more comfortable expressing their ideas with the team.

Contact us today to book your escape room experience, and give your staff a company outing they wont soon forget.


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