Planning an event is a tedious task, but planning a corporate vacation is much harder because even a small mistake can have a significant negative impact on customers and clients.
Company holidays are considered the most preferred route team building exercises because not only are employees happy to leave work for one day, but they also feel loved because the organization thinks of them.
Read on for more common mistakes people make when organizing company holidays:
-
Not setting the right goals
If you are hosting an event simply because it is time, then think again because you need to set the right goals for the event. Only then, will you be capable to achieve success. Not being clear about the purpose of the event won’t only waste a day’s work, it will also cost plenty of money unnecessarily. Set goals for the event i.e. you want to build healthy relationships between employees who work in the same department, but different teams or who work in several departments.
-
Not on time
For any event to achieve success, timing is key to master! Period.
Most organizations plan inadequately which delays the whole program. This is a large problem because it not only costs you more than necessary, it lowers the expected overall impact of the event. Some employees may leave early and miss the end of the event.
Always on time!
-
Poor budgeting and expense tracking
Budgeting is a complex task that requires experience and the ability to understand expenses. Before company holidays, you need to allocate a fixed budget for the whole event. Once you are done, then you must split it up for various purposes, such as food and drink, venue fees, seating arrangements, activities, and transportation. In addition to determining where the money is going, you need to keep track of your spending so you do not overdo it. Yes, the likelihood is quite high; so ensure efficient tracking of expenses at all times.
-
Did not select an appropriate date
Company holidays needn’t be planned on public holidays or weekends; it takes days of work to make them feel better, as mentioned above. Your employees may have family vacation plans that will be hampered if you plan later. You must understand that their professional and private lives are different, and they try their best to balance each perfectly, but if you hinder their plans, the balance might be upset for good. If you want full attendance and 100% cooperation from your employees on a team building day then you should weigh up their opinions with the date and come up with something that works for both of you.
-
No contingency plans
Every plan needs to have a contingency plan to make sure you have a solution when things go according to plan. You need to take into consideration the indisputable fact that everything is not going to be perfect on the day of the event or during the planning process, so it is at all times better to have a plan B for situations like this. You haven’t got to think of two fully different plans, instead, consider activities that could go wrong during the execution phase and find replacements every time necessary. Take notes from before company holidays is also an incredible approach to understanding what went wrong.
-
Boring activities and games
The purpose of corporate away day is to have games and team building activities that can help your employees to get together with one another and understand one another’s strengths and weaknesses, right? However, what happens if all of them do not enjoy your game or activity? You must understand that falling trust and one-on-one QnA are traditional games that have grown accustomed to boredom, and your employees deserve a new game of bonding with each other. Take a look at the old days, take note of the games they loved and those they hated, and accordingly, organize vacation activities. You must keep them entertained to make sure the event is successful.
Skipping the work day is simply worthwhile if you can achieve something way more important than your day-to-day activities, specifically an efficient and well-bonded team. So plan your holidays accordingly with a fixed budget and much of fun team building activities.
All the best!
