A company away day with a focus on wellbeing is an excellent opportunity to boost morale, foster team bonding and promote a healthier work-life balance.
It will not only rejuvenate the team but reflect positively on your company culture. Here’s our expert guide to planning a successful away day that has wellbeing at its heart.
The importance of wellbeing
The first step in planning a wellbeing focused company away day is about being clear about the why. This away day is not just about a break from the office; it’s about actively contributing to your team’s mental and physical health. Wellbeing activities can reduce stress, improve focus and encourage a sense of community among employees.
Venue selection
Choose a venue that resonates with your theme and enhances the tranquility and relaxation. Nature-centric locations such as retreats in the countryside, beachside resorts, or even mountain lodges can be ideal. The environment should above all facilitate relaxation and offer a break from the team’s usual screen-focused, indoor desk-bound settings. If you’re looking for inspiration here are 9 of our favourite wellbeing venues to beat stress.
Wellbeing-focused activities
Plan your schedule and select your activities ensuring the theme of physical and mental wellbeing runs through the core of your programme. Allow for both indoor and outdoor activities and large and small group sessions.
- Group yoga or Tai Chi
Start the day with a group yoga or Tai Chi session. Both are excellent for reducing stress and improving flexibility and balance. They can be adapted for all fitness levels, total beginner to expert, and are a great way to encourage mindfulness, to start the day off focused.
- Wellness workshops
Organise workshops and speakers focusing on topics like nutrition, stress management, digital wellbeing and work-life balance. These can be interactive sessions with experts who provide practical tips and advice and challenge your attendees to think about how to implement them in the lives after the away day. Host small group discussions afterwards on the topics introduced by your speakers.
- Team building outdoor activities
Consider some challenging outdoor activities like hiking, canoeing, or raft-building. These not only promote physical fitness but really enhance team bonding and communication.
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- Group sports
Engage the team in a gentler ‘sports day‘ afternoon with inclusive sports such as a gentle walking or running 5k, volleyball, cricket, or rounders. These are a fun way to encourage physical activity and teamwork and also provide some nice trophy-giving and photo opportunities to remember the day by.
- Cooking classes
Arrange a healthy cooking class focused on nutrition, not just fun to do but also a way to promote healthy eating habits and a nice opportunity for teams to bond over creating food.
- Mindfulness and meditation sessions
Conduct guided meditation or mindfulness sessions. These help teach how to reduce anxiety and improve concentration and will benefit the team in both their personal and professional lives.
- Creative workshops
Art and creativity is great for mental health. Creative workshops on your wellbeing focused company away day such as painting, pottery or crafting can also add a therapeutic dimension and be a great way to express creativity.
- Nature Walks
Organise guided nature walks. Being in nature is calming and can help in disconnecting from work-related stress.
- Cold water swimming
If your venue offers it, cold-water swimming sessions enable the team to try something new which can clear the head and stimulate endorphins, setting them up to be really productive and energised.
- Board games and puzzles
Set up quiet areas for retro board games and puzzles. These offer time-out spaces for colleagues to bond and chat while playing games which hark back to childhood.
The wellbeing focus shouldn’t end when the away day does
End the day with a reflective session. This can be a group discussion where employees share their experiences of the day and any wellbeing learnings they’re taking back to their lives outside. Collect feedback on the day’s chosen activities and encourage employees to think about how they could implement their learnings from the wellbeing focused company away day in their daily routines. This could be through regular yoga sessions at the office for example, or maybe drop-in lunchtime meditation groups. Keep the focus on wellbeing as part of your company culture. Regularly organise smaller activities or discussions around the theme.
Planning a wellbeing focused company away day is a valuable investment in your team. It’s about creating an experience that not only serves as a break from the usual routine but also equips employees with tools and knowledge for a healthier lifestyle. An away day that focused on their wellbeing can lead to improved productivity, enhanced team dynamics, and a positive work environment. A happy team is a productive team.
For more ideas, or for information about hosting away days and team-building events don’t hesitate to contact the Evolve Events team. We possess the experience and local knowledge to assist you with venue finding, activities and logistics to create unforgettable experiences.
TEL : 020 7610 2808 – EMAIL : anna@evolve-events.com