Staff events include sales meetings, congratulations for a job well done, retirement and birthday celebrations and employee motivation. While a formal sit-down dinner can run to over $50 per person, you don’t have to spend a fortune on your staff event. Keep the event on the inexpensive side and you can reward your staff more often.
Outdoors
Get your staff outside for a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively. During nice weather, hold a conference at a local park. Turn a sales meeting into a picnic by providing sandwiches, chips and sodas picked up from a sandwich shop or grocery store. Golf is an expensive game to play and not everyone plays the game. However, most of your employees would appreciate the afternoon at a golf club with a pool, tennis courts and lunch. The cost may not be as prohibitive as you might think for a weekday event.
Games
Corporate games serve as ice breakers, build team spirit, increase motivation and can be a learning experience as well. Rather than going off-site, which increases the cost, hold the games at your company’s location. Choose games that don’t require special equipment. Rather than prizes, spend that money on T-shirts with your company’s name.
Casual Fridays
End the week with a pizza party and soft drinks. Thank your employees for a job well done with a Friday afternoon ice cream social. Another alternative is a build-your-own taco luncheon. Rather than having a Mexican restaurant cater the event, buy the ingredients at the grocery store. Fry up a few pounds of ground beef. Add shredded cheeses, bags of ready-to-eat lettuce, cherry tomatoes, drained black beans and prepared guacamole.
Meeting on Monday Morning
Get the week started off with a meeting on Monday morning to motivate your staff. Food can be as simple as doughnuts and coffee. If you’d like something with a little more sustenance, have a staff member pick up breakfast sandwiches at the local fast food joint, along with fruit smoothies. Add some fresh fruit for those who prefer lighter fare. You can also hold a meeting at a coffee shop or breakfast pancake restaurant if your staff is on the small side. Reserve the tables ahead of time.
Afternoons at …
Treat your staff to an afternoon at the movies or museum as a reward for meeting an important deadline. Afternoon tickets are less expensive than during the evening or weekends, and the theater or museum will be less crowded as well. Call the venue to see if you can get a group rate.
