
Ask HN: Company retreat? - raykanani99
How do people feel about company retreats? Are they valuable? If so, what benefits have you found?<p>Does anyone work for an organization that provides a retreat space for employees to use? Lodge, cabin, etc
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joezydeco
In the days before mobile devices and pervasive internet, retreats could have
a productive use. Get people out of the office, clear their heads, get them
focused on whatever task you think is necessary to perform away from work
(brainstorming, team building, etc).

Now that's all changed. The last couple of retreats I've been on, people are
on their phones handling emergencies all day long and then quickly pull back
to their hotel rooms after hours to catch up on work that needed attention
while they were gone.

And I've never heard of a company that pays for space away from the office for
one to work. That seems like a stretch to ask for.

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taylodl
It's really difficult to make spouses and children feel welcome and have
appropriate activities for everyone and yet still achieve the bonding you're
looking to achieve. It can be done, but it's really difficult and requires
careful planning and a genuine desire to make everyone involved feel welcome.
Otherwise it's likely to be a disaster and achieving the opposite of what you
were hoping. At a minimum you should get a professional planner engaged to
better ensure a successful event.

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probinso
I don't want my family time interrupted by trust falls. Retreats are fine as
long as they satisfy that criteria.

