Feature: Eye on Events

By Meera Jegathesan

Set Up Summer Work Outings for Success

Are you a hardworking professional who is burned out by a busy spring at work, a flood of projects or too many long business trips? Do you simply lack motivation at work and find it hard to focus during this time of year? The weather is warm—let’s face it. You’d rather be outside than in your dark cubicle. Or, maybe you’re the boss of a team and need a way to wake up your staff in these slow times. A work outing is a great way for you and your employees to gain motivation, be inspired and take a break from the summer lull.

Here are some helpful tips for planning your next successful summer work outing in any profession. Set yourself and your co-workers up for a second wind!

Evaluate the importance. Well, we already covered why summer is a tougher time of the year to stay focused at work, but ask yourself why you’d want to plan a work outing. The main benefit of a work outing is for you and your staff to network and socialize outside of the workplace atmosphere. An outing could be great way to foster positive team morale and reward employees for their hard work. Perhaps you need an outing to reinvigorate your team, help employees understand goals for the future and build momentum for a busy fall. Whatever the reason may be, make sure the outing is a positive event that employees will want to attend.

Pick a date. Remember when you were a kid and you got so excited to go on that field trip on a normal school day? Adults are really no different, so plan your summer outing on a typical weekday—you don’t want to take employees away from their weekend, holiday or personal time for a work function. It’s not easy to plan any type of event during the summer because employees are more likely to vacation (schools are out) and the weather is usually nice. You may never be able to find a day when every single employee is available, but ask employees to save the date one month in advance and make the outing a mandatory event. Allowing your staff to look forward to the outing will make the actual event even more memorable!

Know the basics. Now that you’ve picked the date, the fun part is yet to begin. Answer the following questions as you begin your planning:

- Who are your employees? For example, is your office predominantly male or female? What is the average age of your employees? What do you think your employees would like to do outside the office and do many of your employees have families? If most of your staff have children, you may want to invite employees, spouses and children to the outing and pick activities that all can enjoy.

- In which profession do you work? If you work for a restaurant or hotel like me, and your employees are constantly working hard to serve others, plan an outing where others serve your employees for a change. Pick an activity that allows your employees to experience something unique and different from the norm, such as a cooking or wine tasting class or tour.

- What is appropriate versus inappropriate? Set an example for your employees during your next outing and plan activities that will appeal broadly to all attendees without offending anyone. Keep the activities professional and safe. For example, don’t pick activities that will put your employees at risk and create a large amount of liability (Hint: no skydiving or scuba diving). Set a dress code and make sure employees dress appropriately. It is absolutely fine to serve alcoholic beverages at a work outing, provided employees drink responsibly and do not drive while intoxicated.

- Where would you go? Choose a location that is easily accessible for employees. If you work in the suburbs of San Francisco but want to bring employees to the city for an outing, always take travel time into consideration. If employees must drive to the outing, figure out where they could park and what the parking costs would be. Since the purpose of an outing is to take care of your employees, make the logistics easy. Arrange transportation to and from the office so your employees don’t have to worry about any complicated details. If that is not possible, pay for parking in advance and give tickets to your employees. Also, decide if you want the outing to be outdoors or indoors. A popular outing idea is an outdoor picnic, but make sure you have a contingency plan should it rain.

- What time would you commit to an outing? Can you afford to have employees away from the office for half a day or a full day? Remember to figure time for travel, an activity or two and free time to relax and socialize.

- What is your budget? If you are a boss, set aside a reasonable amount of money for the event on a per person basis. Depending on the activity you choose, budget for travel, food and drink, venue rental and miscellaneous costs. Remember to always overestimate your budget so you have cushion in case additional costs come up, but remember to stay within your means. A good rule of thumb is never to let your employees pay for anything! The outing should be a way to support and thank your staff for their hard work, so pamper them for a change!

Build your team. Teambuilding activities are great ways to make work outings unforgettable. Again, ask yourself why building a team would be important and look for activities that get everyone involved regardless of level of skill. Teambuilding activities can be physically or mentally stimulating. If you are a physician and your staff deals with difficult patients all day long and can get easily frustrated, pick a teambuilding activity that fosters patience and perseverance, such as building homes for low-income households. If you are trying to teach your staff to trust in and depend on each other, try a rock climbing team exercise. Maybe you work in a bank and your staff is sedentary yet you want to drive them to be more energetic, so a biking activity might be interesting. Remember that no activity is a bad idea, and the important thing is to promote friendly teamwork—and, of course, have fun!

Craft a menu. No summer work outing is complete without a full selection of food and beverages. Remember that you should not skimp in this area (think good quantity and quality). If your event is during the day, pick grilled and picnic-style foods, such as burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, cookies and ice cream. In the evening, choose more elegant foods such as richer entrees and desserts. I recommend that, if your budget allows, you hire a caterer. Many caterers provide simple but sophisticated menus for company or office outings and charge on a per person basis. The caterer is not only able to prepare and serve the food onsite but also will provide all of the beverages (alcoholic or nonalcoholic), labor, utensils, plates and serving platters.

Small details mean big rewards. Ask yourself what else you can do to make the day even more memorable for your employees. If there is room in your budget, consider placing the company logo on décor (such as balloons and signage), and a great touch would be to order T-shirts for your employees in a specific color for the event. You might consider giving prizes to employees or teams that win during team games and activities or favors to all guests at the end of the event so they feel appreciated and rewarded. If you are a boss, it’s also a great idea to speak to your guests publicly, discuss the company’s performance goals and thank everyone for their hard work. You may even use the outing as an awards presentation, if appropriate, to celebrate the performance of top employees.

I really hope that these helpful tips have given you a good taste of what it takes to plan a successful and memorable summer work outing. Remember that every outing should be both fun for all involved, and meaningful and appreciative for your most important guests—your employees. So wake up this summer and get your people ready to go!

Meera Jegathesan works for a large convention hotel in the San Francisco Bay Area and has spent the past four years planning dozens of events. She's never afraid to think outside of the box and her next big idea is always just around the corner.

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