In 2022, hosting a team retreat is possibly more important than ever — but it may be even trickier than ever, too.
Below are three retreat considerations that are unique to 2022, as well as tips about what you can do about them.
With so many employees feeling burned out, they may either be desperate for a retreat or feel that there’s no way that they could take the time right now.
In general, people who were used to working in person and have been working remotely for the majority of the pandemic have missed out on opportunities to connect with each other in more traditional ways. Additionally, with so many employees hired during the pandemic, some of your team members may have never met each other in person at all.
Even though I believe that people can develop strong relationships remotely and can accomplish high quality work remotely, the serendipity of in-person relationship-building can be diminished, making it all the more important to intentionally build time in for Connection.
Connection is fundamental for trust and psychological safety in the workplace, so it is worth the investment — especially during the Great Resignation where talent is leaving organizations in droves. As mentioned above, a bonus of focusing on Connection is that people who feel more connected to others feel a reduction in their stress and burnout.
If we’ve learned anything over the course of the pandemic, it’s that we can never be sure what to expect, which is why it’s crucial to hire a flexible facilitator.
First of all, make sure that you hire a facilitator who is equally skilled at in-person and virtual facilitation. Although the trend right now is to bring people “back together” in-person, if there is a change in the public health situation or in your team that requires a shift to a virtual retreat, your facilitator needs to be able to make that shift.
Since I would argue that virtual facilitation is harder to do than in-person facilitation, if you find someone highly skilled at virtual facilitation, you’re likely to have a facilitator who is also a strong in-person.
Additionally, if your team hasn’t had the opportunity to come together for a while, there might be growing pains. Your facilitator may need to adjust the schedule on the fly and skillfully navigate nuanced conversations as a result. While needing to manage retreat schedules and difficult conversations are not new to 2022, the weight of their importance is.
Are you looking for a partner that is aware of the challenges of facilitating in 2022, and yet who loves doing it anyway? Well, that’s me!
>>> I’m currently booking 2022 retreat facilitations. Book a time for us to chat about what you might be seeking.
Megan E. Mozina
Owner & Principal
Cresta Solutions
she/her
You have a lot of pressure on you to lead meaningful initiatives in these times of great change.
But where do you start? How do you make sure that you're taking a creative approach? That your plan works?
This free resource guide from Cresta Solutions is here to help! It provides a 5-step framework for you to follow and some bonus "Pro Tips" to help you lead these changes with creativity and long-term impact.