Employment attorney looks at benefits (and risks) of hosting in-person corporate retreats
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal notes that corporate retreats and team building experiences are slowly returning, with a focus on the type of fun that might be found at a kid’s birthday party. Deborah Brouwer, managing partner of Detroit-based management-side labor and employment law firm Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer PC, says that silliness aside, now is the time to bring employees together in an intentional way to re-capture or in some cases, create, a corporate culture that enhances the workplace experience, even as it boosts productivity.
“Employee skepticism for town hall meetings, team building exercises or offsite retreats may be warranted at times, for example, when a company has a reputation for being a difficult place to work; but from our vantage point as employment lawyers advising management, we see the negative ramifications for both employees and employers of too little togetherness,” Brouwer said.
Forced return to the office where staff sit in front of screens with headphones and minimal interaction with colleagues creates no value in terms of esprit de corps. Instead, it can stir simmering anger among those who would rather be home alone, rather than at work alone. At least in this transition period between remote, hybrid and fully in-office settings, Brouwer recommends employers consider some type of in-person group activity to hit refresh and build or rebuild a sense of shared purpose.
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What killed the work-focused gatherings? It wasn’t just Covid
Covid may have been the biggest blow to department or company-wide gatherings, but other factors contributed to their at least temporary demise, including:
• The cost of hosting elaborate events, which sometimes includes bringing in employees from multiple, far-away locations.
• The appearance of being cheap when downsizing events to more reasonably priced venues, menus and giveaways.
• Fear of discriminating against one group of employees by favoring certain departments or roles over others.
• Feedback, either through formal surveys or word-of-mouth, indicating that the event didn’t accomplish its goal or worse, backfired.
• Too much focus on productivity and margins at the expense of valuing employee satisfaction.
When organizing a work-focused gathering, make sure it’s planned with good intention and not just to check a box or post event photos on social media. To show employees their attendance at the event is valued, consider an advisory to clients that the team will be unavailable during that period.
Brouwer also says it’s important to distinguish between social gatherings hosted by an employer and corporate gatherings.
“Social gatherings like holiday parties have been coming back in relative force over the past several years as a way for employees to have fun together. But work gatherings like town halls or retreats are designed to focus on the business itself,” Brouwer said. “With employees more siloed at work, such gatherings need to tackle business matters; even the tough ones.”
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Topics that make a corporate gathering more meaningful and build trust
If sensitive topics are off the table when large groups of employees are brought together, employers risk doing more harm than good. Instead, Brouwer says put the tough stuff out there to accomplish the goal of team and trust building and a shared corporate mission. Topics may include:
• How is the company doing financially?
• What threats – and opportunities – exist now and in the near future that can positively or negatively impact the company’s future?
• What new products or services are in the offing?
• Is the company’s strategic direction the same?
• If an AI-based layoff occurred previously, what has been the outcome of that? Like other companies have done, will some laid off staff be called back to fill in AI gaps or failures?
• Are there any new opportunities for career development or advancement planned?
“The more honest and open employers can be without tipping their hand on confidential information, the greater the likelihood of an impactful meeting in what could be the first of many,” Brouwer said. “If the opportunity exists to tell staff in one place about some exciting news that’s not yet been publicly released, all the better for trust building and confidence in the future of the business.”
—————
Limit virtual options
Far-flung offices may make a fully in-person event impossible, but a strong core will need to be in one place for the event to have value. There can be no kumbaya moment achieved via screens and monitors.
“Employee skepticism for town hall meetings, team building exercises or offsite retreats may be warranted at times, for example, when a company has a reputation for being a difficult place to work; but from our vantage point as employment lawyers advising management, we see the negative ramifications for both employees and employers of too little togetherness,” Brouwer said.
Forced return to the office where staff sit in front of screens with headphones and minimal interaction with colleagues creates no value in terms of esprit de corps. Instead, it can stir simmering anger among those who would rather be home alone, rather than at work alone. At least in this transition period between remote, hybrid and fully in-office settings, Brouwer recommends employers consider some type of in-person group activity to hit refresh and build or rebuild a sense of shared purpose.
—————
What killed the work-focused gatherings? It wasn’t just Covid
Covid may have been the biggest blow to department or company-wide gatherings, but other factors contributed to their at least temporary demise, including:
• The cost of hosting elaborate events, which sometimes includes bringing in employees from multiple, far-away locations.
• The appearance of being cheap when downsizing events to more reasonably priced venues, menus and giveaways.
• Fear of discriminating against one group of employees by favoring certain departments or roles over others.
• Feedback, either through formal surveys or word-of-mouth, indicating that the event didn’t accomplish its goal or worse, backfired.
• Too much focus on productivity and margins at the expense of valuing employee satisfaction.
When organizing a work-focused gathering, make sure it’s planned with good intention and not just to check a box or post event photos on social media. To show employees their attendance at the event is valued, consider an advisory to clients that the team will be unavailable during that period.
Brouwer also says it’s important to distinguish between social gatherings hosted by an employer and corporate gatherings.
“Social gatherings like holiday parties have been coming back in relative force over the past several years as a way for employees to have fun together. But work gatherings like town halls or retreats are designed to focus on the business itself,” Brouwer said. “With employees more siloed at work, such gatherings need to tackle business matters; even the tough ones.”
—————
Topics that make a corporate gathering more meaningful and build trust
If sensitive topics are off the table when large groups of employees are brought together, employers risk doing more harm than good. Instead, Brouwer says put the tough stuff out there to accomplish the goal of team and trust building and a shared corporate mission. Topics may include:
• How is the company doing financially?
• What threats – and opportunities – exist now and in the near future that can positively or negatively impact the company’s future?
• What new products or services are in the offing?
• Is the company’s strategic direction the same?
• If an AI-based layoff occurred previously, what has been the outcome of that? Like other companies have done, will some laid off staff be called back to fill in AI gaps or failures?
• Are there any new opportunities for career development or advancement planned?
“The more honest and open employers can be without tipping their hand on confidential information, the greater the likelihood of an impactful meeting in what could be the first of many,” Brouwer said. “If the opportunity exists to tell staff in one place about some exciting news that’s not yet been publicly released, all the better for trust building and confidence in the future of the business.”
—————
Limit virtual options
Far-flung offices may make a fully in-person event impossible, but a strong core will need to be in one place for the event to have value. There can be no kumbaya moment achieved via screens and monitors.
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