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Company outing tips

In my last post I wrote about preparing for Christmas parties (That was a long time ago!). This time I’d like to talk about something more timely considering that summer in the Philippines is just around the corner. And you know what comes with summer … prickly heat!…No! Company outing.
If you are a managing a company in the Philippines, this is one of the few events that you should prepare and allocate budget for. Company outings are great opportunities to show appreciation for employee cooperation, bond the team and take a welcome break from the daily grinds. In my experience as HR Manager in the past made realize the power of this exercise to reenergize the team. On the other hand, a poorly planned, poorly executed company outing can cause disappointment and frustration thereby defeating the purpose of going offsite. What I’m sharing with you now are some of the lessons I learned both the easy and hard way about delivering a good company outing. Here they are:
Planning
For a successful company outing, planning is everything. This means getting budget approval at the start of the year. This also means conceptualizing and canvassing way ahead of time. A company outing is such a big investment in money for you to not plan it properly.
Where are you going?
A day in the beach? Perhaps an overnighter? How about going to Baguio? A private resort? A day at Enchanted Kingdom? How about an entirely new thing to do? I’ve seen companies expand their options from a traditional day in the beach to other activities not only because of people’s growing concern for getting their skin sunburned but also to maximize the return on their investment. I’m a little biased towards going to the beach but I would say that it doesn’t matter where you plan to go for summer, what matters is what you are going to do when you get there.
So, what are you going to do?
Some companies make the mistake of making their company outing itinerary very hectic. They normally include teambuilding or games and meetings that last the entire day to maximize the “benefits” of the event. Do not fall in to that same trap. People will want to have some free time to do what they want to do and bond with people they want to bond with. These things should not be forced. I do agree however that there should be some activities that are deliberately intended to bond the group. A one to two-hour fun games in late afternoon would do the trick. A karaoke night or sitting around a bonfire could also be fun for as long there are people in charge of ensuring that the fun is spread among team members. Beware of the microphone hogs!
If you decide to go the beach…
As I said, I’m biased to it. If you are like me who prefer going to the beach, here are some of the things you need to do. Assemble a small committee and go on a resort hopping ocular inspection (this should be fun!). Before you do this of course, you need to shortlist your resorts. Contact as many of them as possible and ask them to send proposals. Go to the resorts that fit your budget. To me, a good resort offers good food, great customer service, decent accommodation, enough open space for some bonding activities and of course… karaoke!!!
Decisions, Decisions
Where to go and what to do. Those are the decisions you need to make as early as possible. Going to an expensive resort has instant impact that gratify employees. The impact however is only before they get there. What you do when you get there is what really matters. Not all of us can afford to go on an expensive company outing. Plus the excess money you spend on these can be used for other things like training. I think it is important for HR to look at this from a business management point of view as well. There is also that need to be creative. Making the experience more fun should be the bigger challenge than selecting the venue for your company outing.
Organizing it
You know what really, really helps? Organizing a committee that will ensure management of the entire event. Delegate it to the employees. If you are the HR Manager, your job is to make sure that they are not making those inexperienced decisions that can compromise the event. My mandate to the committee is always to find a way to make it really, really fun. Just telling them to do that can work a lot of wonders!
If you are in the Philippines, have a lot of money to spare, nothing beats going to Boracay, Palawan or Bohol. If you cannot afford to fly your employees to those places, there are a lot of good resorts in Puerto Galera. If your group like snorkeling, That is the place to go and resorts in Anilao Batangas, If you like fine sand beaches go to the north, in Zambales and Pangasinan. Quezon is also a good place

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