It’s not uncommon to find a company that has hired a trainer to take their employees to a seminar, conference, or simple social event, but has subsequently been disappointed with the results.
Here we will examine some of the common causes and their solutions.
Low participation/response to invitation
This is a commonly expressed frustration in many organizational departments.
Ignoring mechanical causes (such as “we weren’t told” miscommunication or underreporting) is often attributed to:
- low morale in the company;
- a lack of interest in the event in question;
- conflicting priorities (your event has been scheduled at a time that conflicts with other things).
There is no easy answer to this and simply making attendance mandatory is probably not the answer. You may need to analyze the causes in more detail.
Dissatisfaction with the quality of transportation.
In the 21st century, professionals expect corporate transportation to be modern and comfortable.
If an “old banger” from a trainer comes along early on, then your session is already in trouble due to creating the wrong impression.
Be prepared to spend a bit of money here to get a comfortable limousine bus.
Impact on personal life
Today, most people expect and demand a balance between professional and personal life.
Therefore, anticipate dissatisfaction and unhappiness from attendees if they have had to get up at 4 am to make it to their scheduled departure time and/or if they won’t be home until the early hours of the morning.
A luxury coach can help alleviate some of this through travel comfort, but it will not, in itself, be the solution.
Impact on professional life
On a similar theme to the above, asking people to come home very late, while they are expected to be back at the office at 8am and firing on all cylinders, is likely to be a recipe for malaise.
Provide or organize refreshments
If people have been asked to get up unusually early and have been on a bus for some time, then it is very good psychology to provide (or stop) some snacks.
A bit of caffeine and a boost in calories can ensure that people arrive at their destination eager to get started rather than tired, jaded, and looking for reasons to complain.
railway
Ideally, your corporate event should be so desirable by its very nature that your colleagues should fight for the opportunity to participate.
Only use “must attend” approaches as an absolute last resort, as mentioned above.
If you see a lack of interest and willing participation, something is wrong and a rethink is required. People generally don’t respond well to being forced to attend company events.
Interact with the rest of the world
Remember that many will see a corporate event in a much larger context of the larger business world that you share with your colleagues.
So expect a very negative reception for (e.g.) a company team-building exercise held at an expensive external location, if only days before the company has announced significant cuts in fringe benefits for employees due to prevailing economic circumstances.