Travel Incentives News: Three reasons why an all staff trip is always a good idea

We are all concerned about employee engagement, motivation and choosing the right incentives. But when it comes to travel, we can easily get scared off, especially if the words ‘all staff’ come by. What about the expense? The admin? The hastle? But are we too quick to dismiss the idea of an all staff trip?

We wanted to discover more, so we spoke to Cato Syversen, CEO at Creditsafe who knows a thing or two about doing just that – with 820 staff out this year for a global celebration, we asked them to tell us just why they think an all staff trip is always a good idea.

“The term ‘employee engagement’ is frequently used in the world of business, but too often customer demands come above keeping staff happy and motivated. Business leaders talk about having the right company culture on a regular basis, but this rarely translates to every individual in an organisation.

As the chief executive of a business with a large sales team, having motivated, energetic staff is extremely important to me and something I see as crucial to the future success of the company. We take employee engagement seriously and pride ourselves on being a business that people want to work for, in our most recent employee engagement survey, we established that 85% of staff love working for the company.

This year marks 20 years of business for Creditsafe, and to celebrate the company is taking more than 850 staff from across the business (and globe) to Alcudia, Majorca for a group-wide conference.

On the surface, a conference might not sound ground-breaking, but this event will bring together employees from the UK, Sweden, France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, USA, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands for a long weekend of bonding, exchanging ideas and celebrating. We held a similar trip in 2012 and Creditsafe employees still talk about the weekend to this day, swapping stories and reminiscing. It really brings people together.

All too often when cost cutting, businesses decide to lose the company away-day or sacrifice an office party – this can be an easy mistake to make. In reality, it’s these expenses that can really make a difference to employee happiness and wellbeing at work. Investment in your staff should be a top priority to keep, not cut.

Smart business leaders will understand that a business should always treat its employees like its best customer. In my mind, it’s not just a conference – it’s an investment in my team. So, here are my top three reasons why an all staff trip is always a good idea:

1. One team, one culture
   With offices dotted around the world, it can be difficult for employees to physically meet and create relationships. Not every employee will have the opportunity to travel and experience their colleagues culture, which has the potential to cause a disconnect. If business leaders want one culture and vibe throughout a global business, enabling teams to meet, talk and enjoy each others’ company is crucial.
2. Everyone should have a voice
   At some large organisations employees can feel removed from the senior leadership team, and exposure to them can be limited and infrequent. What’s more, approaching the chief executive (as much as I’d like it!) can be daunting for junior team members. Taking all employees to a neutral, relaxed environment instantly changes the dynamics and allows everyone to feel empowered to speak up and have their say on key issues within the business.
3. It’s all about the people
   Ultimately, sometimes it’s just nice to say thank you and let your employees know you appreciate them. It’s easy to say thank you, but a gesture or treat for staff really gets appreciated. Getting everyone together to celebrate doing a great job is always going to be good for morale.

Holding an all staff trip is just one way businesses can build engagement with employees. However, remember that one trip won’t instantly deliver results – building engagement is something achieved over time, by proving that the business is dedicated to investing in their employees both professionally and emotionally. A business that achieves this will reap the rewards.”

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