The potential of company outings: 5 insights from our team trip to Arona, Italy

We believe that celebrating successes and fostering collaboration is crucial to creating a dynamic workplace culture. That's why we went on an exciting team trip to Arona to celebrate our successes over the past financial year and spend time with the team. In this post, we'd like to share our experiences and offer 5 tips for your next offsite.

Why we went on this trip in the first place

We constantly reflect on our own workplace culture and aim to be a role model when it comes to encouraging collaboration, showing appreciation and celebrating success. Our entire team does its best every day to deliver the best possible performance for our customers, drive internal projects forward and make a significant contribution to the success of Great Place To Work.

That's why we want to do our best here too: Instead of traditional recognition measures (e.g. an extra bonus, a thank you email, etc.), we came up with something that suits us and recognizes our collective success. With a team outing, we wanted to show genuine appreciation and express our gratitude for the work done and the commitment of each individual team member in his/her role.

With time as a valuable commodity, we wanted to give back and create an atmosphere of togetherness and camaraderie in which everyone feels valued for their professional and individual contribution. We have combined this with our ambition to continuously develop our organization and learn from each other, and thus developed a program that combines all of these aspects.

Day 1

Thursday morning, 09:04: The first team members board the train at Zurich main station, with a few others joining them between Zurich and Bellinzona. The train journey was used here and there for a quick exchange about a project, spontaneous meetings and lively discussions about expectations for the trip. Some team members took time during the journey to work on their tasks, others simply enjoyed the beautiful view from the train window.

After arriving in Arona at around 1:30 pm, we met up with our colleagues from Great Place To Work Italy for lunch. This was followed by a joint workshop in which we first got to know each other's business, goals and challenges. With a fun quiz game, we tested our knowledge of the respective countries in teams and had the opportunity to get to know the Italian team (better). In breakout groups with people in similar roles, we delved into current topics and tried to find solutions to common problems.  

In the evening, we came together for an entertaining aperitif where we were able to continue exchanging ideas and networking.

Day 2

The next day, the Swiss team started the morning by discussing what the world will look like in 2030. The focus was on how artificial intelligence (AI) will change the world and what this means for workplace culture in general, our customers and for us. We used the rest of the morning - in a shortened version of Atlassian's "ShipIt" concept - to pursue any task and give free rein to creativity.

In the afternoon, we had fun exploring the city, which required cooperation and problem-solving. After the Italian team left, we used the evening for ourselves, had a delicious dinner, toasted together and let the evening fade away before everyone returned home individually the next day.

5 tips for your next offsite

A retreat is often seen as an opportunity to enjoy good food and relax from the daily grind. However, we believe that a company retreat has far greater value. By combining business development workshops, team building activities and cultural exploration, we have put together a program that makes the most of our time and allows us to make the most of our trip.

For us, our team trip to Arona, Italy, was an opportunity to get to know each other even better, create a positive workplace culture, celebrate successes and encourage collaboration across borders. As a result, we returned with fresh energy, new ideas and fun experiences to help us achieve our goals.

But what made our trip so special?

Here are our five tips that go beyond the obligatory team dinner and "switching off" and will make your next offsite a success.

Celebrating success and showing appreciation

Recognizing and appreciating the contribution of each individual team member boosts morale, motivation and a sense of accomplishment. For example, you can give a toast emphasizing how proud you are of what you have achieved together. A sincere "thank you" goes a long way.

During our retreat, we had the opportunity to celebrate the great results we have achieved in the past financial year. For us, the best way to celebrate and recognize our commitment is to take time for each other.

Deepen connections (and have fun)

Interpersonal relationships form the basis for effective communication, better teamwork and a common goal. Shared fun moments can strengthen team spirit and even improve team performance.

The trip allowed us to leave our usual (home) office environment and engage with each other. Through team-building activities and informal conversations (over a Negroni or two ;)) we were able to strengthen our relationships and create a supportive and collaborative atmosphere.

Stimulating creativity and innovation

A change of scenery can open up new perspectives and unleash creativity. Instead of holding all meetings in dedicated meeting rooms, walking meetings or a brief exchange at the breakfast table or over a coffee are great alternatives. It can be just as beneficial to simply have dinner without talking or thinking about work-related topics.

In Arona, we took to a new environment and explored the town on a walk or simply looked out over the lake. Creative brainstorming sessions also allowed us to pursue fun and unconventional ideas.

Learning from each other: Offsites are a good opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other. Perhaps someone would like to volunteer to prepare a learning sprint on a topic that is important to them or you invite an expert to give a presentation or workshop.

Our trip gave us the opportunity to gain insights from our colleagues at Great Place To Work Italy and to exchange ideas with the team. This in turn gave us new impetus to further develop our workplace culture and that of our customers.

Encourage reflection and growth

In the midst of our busy schedules, it can be difficult to find time for reflection. A retreat like this can give you and your team the opportunity to pause, reflect on achievements and identify areas for growth.

By taking a step back and adopting a new perspective, we gain clarity about our goals, ambitions and the way forward.

So when planning your next offsite, remember to create an environment that encourages celebrating shared successes, socializing, inspiring creativity, fostering learning and facilitating reflection. In this way, you can unleash the full potential of your team and create a culture that thrives on shared success, innovation and continuous growth.

For us, our team outing was an opportunity to laugh together and reflect on the challenges we have overcome and the milestones we have achieved together. Doing this in such an idyllic setting and with the whole team underlines the message that every team member is an essential part of our success story.