Staff Retreats

Without corporate retreats, you are like a football team that never huddles, never practices, never plans and does not hold training camps.

How cohesive and harmonious are the Teams in Compucom? Does staff share a unified vision? Are employees on board with the systems Compucom has in place? Do they know they have a voice in the Company? Would you say Compucom has soul?

To ensure the growth and profitability of the Company, we must continuously re-evaluate our goals, business model, plan of attack and focus. But that isn’t all we have to think about. Ultimately, the company will not grow well—meaning both profitably and with a happy, connected staff—if employees cannot recharge, if they are not inspired or if they have hit competence thresholds that leave them unable to deliver at a new level of business complexity, size or performance. Similarly, the “game plan”—the company’s infrastructure, systems and processes—must be regularly reviewed and updated to enable employees to succeed.

Our staff is a team. And the team consists of people in a variety of skilled positions needed to conduct business and deliver the brand promise. If Compucom is to thrive, economically and as a social group, it is vital to bring staff along with it at every stage, addressing the inevitable gaps that open up between people and corporate vision. Off-site staff retreats offer an invaluable opportunity for the whole team to pause, step back from their everyday duties of working “in the business” and gain enough perspective to reflect “on the business” in constructive ways. A successful retreat will not only sharpen the focus and clarify priorities; it will boost staff morale and benefit the bottom line.

Staff Retreats: Why, Who and When?

Why. Even with good leaders, high-quality staff and an intelligent game plan, a company immersed entirely in the minute-to-minute operations of its business will not achieve its highest potential. Even when profitable, it will limp along carrying quiet symptoms of dysfunction.

By pausing the operations and taking some uninterrupted time to develop staff cohesion; to reflect on changes needed to handle current business and market conditions; and to secure 100% buy-in from employees on key aspects of the business, you are acting in the best interests of both your customers and your staff.

Who. Corporate retreats are relevant for emerging businesses and veteran companies alike. They are not reserved for larger corporations with cash reserves or for senior management; even mom-and-pop businesses can benefit from them. Many top-performing companies schedule mini leader retreats quarterly and more involved staff retreats annually. However, the smaller your company, the more important a corporate retreat is to your success—and the simpler it will be to block off time away from your daily operations.

When. Proactive retreats are the best kind, but in reality, it is often some kind of challenge that ignites companies to recognize the need for on-the-business reflection. Retreats become more obviously valuable opportunities for getting everyone on the same page when a new business launch is imminent; when extra employees need to be integrated to handle growth; or when staff skills must be upgraded in order to achieve key business goals. In times of challenge or crisis, retreats become inevitable. Business plateaus, heavy staff turnover, shifting markets, new competition and, yes, the changes that come with successful growth all demand big-picture attention and all-staff integration.

Plan. We suggest the creation of a monthly Retreat for any one in the company that feels like relaxing and taking the advantage of being part of such a great company as Compucom is. In the best interest we would like to offer the organization and coordination of groups of  46 people going camping or just relax in the various places Mexico offers. All this at a minimum cost, with high quality service and all trips with a traveler insurance.

We honestly believe this is an extra benefit and that employees will be happy with such an opportunity to relax, this will be reflected in having long lasting employees and happier ones too.