Planning A Company Retreat for Your Remote Team | Pre-Planning & Onsite Tips

The remote or distributed workforce concept works great for many organizations, and has become the post-pandemic norm. Allowing employees from around the world to contribute in a virtual environment offers companies (as well as employees) several advantages and benefits that have encouraged this concept to thrive. However when it comes to building a strong culture and developing rapport within the team, there is still no substitute for the type of face-to-face interactions that come with an all-hands company retreat or work-week.

Moniker has found through years of experience that company retreats for remote teams often require special considerations in the planning and execution to ensure a smooth outcome, making sure the unique characteristics of a geographically and culturally diverse team are factored in properly. Here are a few tips we've learned over the years:

Step 1 | Determine the Purpose of Your Company Retreat

While the internet and software has made working with a remote team easier than ever, there is simply no replacement for getting the team together in one location, and working towards a goal while sharing a few laughs together in person. 

Things like culture, company values, and camaraderie are at the core of what makes good companies great, and can be more effectively developed in person rather than a Slack channel or a video screen. GoogleHangouts and Zoom video conferencing are great for day to day details or client calls. However in-person group meetings can get a team on track fast - not to mention the time spent together outside the meeting room afterwards. Company retreats make this happen.

Determine if you want to focus more on work, and achieving certain milestones. Or put more emphasis on getting to know each team member in a non-workplace environment. This will ultimately shape your company retreat agenda. If you want more information on how we

Step 2 | Determine the Company Retreat Budget

This is another question we will have a tough time answering. When deciding what to spend, a good rule of thumb we have found effective is the "Rule of Thirds". Take a budget, and divide it into 3 - 1/3rd should be earmarked for travel, 1/3rd for accommodations, and 1/3rd for meals and activities. That should give you a good starting point of how far you can travel on a budget, and how many nights you can stay.

For example, with a budget of US$2,500 per head, you should feel comfortable considering destinations that average around $800 for the flights (leaving a bit for transfers to/from the airport). From there, if you want 5 days - that means looking at properties around $165/night for accommodation, and allocating $165/day for meals and activities. Expand or shrink the length of your retreat accordingly.

Other factors worth considering:

• The trip can be a business expense for tax purposes in most cases, if you can prove a sufficient amount of time was dedicated to work sessions and meetings.
• Doubling people up can stretch your accommodation budget a long way, however some people might resent being forced to share a room -you decide what's best for your team, but don't hesitate to poll the group for feedback before making a decision.
• Most European destinations include breakfast in their rate ("European Plan"), while most North American destinations do not. Taxes & other service fees are also generally included in the price in Europe, but not as common elsewhere.

Step 3 | Find a Location for your Company Retreat

This is an important question that is impossible to answer without factoring in the specific details of a company such as their budget and geographic distribution. We can however give you some things to consider:

• Find "Middle Earth" - Take stock of where your people are coming from and try to hone in on destinations that are accessible or middle-ground for most. If your organization skews to having more people coming from a certain region, consider hosting the company retreat closer to them - you will save a lot of people's time (and money) doing so.
• Stay Close to an International Airport - Once you land, make sure it's easy to get there! Think MAX two hours or less from a major airport - nobody wants to go on a road-trip after landing from an overnight transatlantic flight!
• Go Remote - Try to avoid having your company retreat  in urban centers or cities - people will feel the urge to go off exploring, defeating the purpose of bringing everyone together. Instead, find properties outside the city to encourage people to stay on-site and spend time together throughout the week.
• Watch the FX - While Iceland and Switzerland are beautiful, the local currency and prices can be a killer to most budgets. Instead, try to take advantage of favourable currency valuations to leverage your spend in countries where you'll get the most value for your company's currency.‍
• Don't Hesitate to Go to a Unique Location  - Sure, Tuscany and Costa Rica seem great locations to host your retreat. But you're not the only one who feels that way. Try looking at lesser known destinations where you'll have more options for accommodations in peak season, or can take advantage of a lower tourism demand to stretch your budget. Puglia can be a perfect substitute for the rolling hills of Tuscany, and up and coming Colombia boasts everything nearby Costa Rica has to offer at a fraction of the price.

Step 4 | Decide the Length of Your Company Retreat

This is a great question that we're commonly asked by our clients. The short answer is that your company retreat length will vary and depend on what your objectives are as a team. However, since there are a number of factors to consider and it's so important to get right, we felt it deserved an entire blog post dedicated to answering it! So if you're interested in finding out more - here is an example of a company retreat agenda.head-on.

Other Tips for Company Retreats for Remote Teams:

• Avoid too much on the first day - people will be jet lagged and appreciate some unstructured time to catch up on sleep without FOMO
• Make sure the location fits the company’s culture. If the business is creative or fun, find a company retreat destination or a property that suits in terms of the common spaces and surrounding ammenities. If your company culture skews towards more serious, consider 'conference' hotels or those within the umbrellas of the major hotel brands, where late-night pool parties won't be a thing.
• Plan in Advance. We recommend minimum 6 months to ensure you're getting the most options in terms of availability for properties in your destination, and airfares. Being spread out means you likely won't be able to take advantage of group-blocks on airfare (10+ seats), so get ahead of the ball by booking flights early.
• Inquire about boosting the Wifi. Remote teams tend to use more bandwidth than normal groups streaming content or doing video calls. Avoid frustration and talk to the host property in advance about temporarily boosting the bandwidth or signal during your groups stay.
• Lay down the Law on Languages - Set ground rules on what languages you want people to converse or work in. While the Madrid team might be thrilled to talk Messi vs. Maradona with the crew from Argentina in their native language, it may be isolating or exclude others. We recommend asking the group to keep in the language you normally work in while hanging out in common areas, and especially during work sessions, to avoid any issues and encourage everyone's participation.
• Clarify Expectations around On-Site Conduct and Alcohol. Also address the fact that different cultures have different concepts about personal space and humour. Avoid any awkward misunderstandings by setting the stage early for what is acceptable and unacceptable, especially considering the majority of the team is used to working from home and not interacting in person.
• (Let) E.T. Phone Home - Leave plenty of leisure time throughout the day to allow employees to call home to various time zones. That means longer than typical coffee breaks in the morning (enough to pop back to the room for a quick skype session) and an extra hour or two before dinner for storytime when the kids are being put to bed.
• Bring Lots of Games & Icebreakers - Leaving a few boardgames, Jenga sets, or bringing in a ping pong table can encourage shy people to step out of their shell and invite others to play a game. It's a lot easier for introverts to interact when there's a medium they can use than engaging someone they might not yet be comfortable with in a conversation head-on.

Business.com published that, “Company retreats can benefit any business. The truth is that they're not just good for your employees, but they're also good for the company.” Check out our blog for additional information on how to plan for retreats, including retreat locations, budgeting and more!