Break Time
Refocus your employees with a company retreat.
Rapidly growing GoldMine Software Corp. had a problem: The success of the company's contact management software had bred its own difficulties. GoldMine's performance had been stellar--revenues had been doubling every year--but "we were going through growing pains," says Brenda Christensen, human resources director for the 70-employee company. "So many people on staff were newly hired, we started seeing internal communications problems. Plus, we [were] so busy putting out day-to-day fires, there was a lack of focus on the big picture."
So the Pacific Palisades, California, company took a step more businesses are taking when they face tough problems: "We held an off-site retreat. Every employee was invited; about 35 of our 50 [people] on staff at the time went," says Christensen, who adds that attendance was optional for nonmanagement personnel. The weekend retreat--held on nearby Catalina Island--featured some leisure time, but "we worked hard on improving communications. One night, for instance, we all sat on the beach and, one by one, talked about what we liked about the company, what we didn't like, and what changes we wanted to see," says Christensen. In the meantime, management used the retreat to give employees insight into the company's mission and goals.
Memorial Day Subscription Sale- Unlock this subscriber exclusive article and more for 20% off today.
Access all Entrepreneur content with no ads, unlock discounts, and get exclusive advice only available to our subscribers. Plus, our magazine delivered straight to your door.
Get a year subscription today for 20% off. Just use code SAVE20 at checkout.
Entrepreneur Editors' Picks
-
James Dyson Created 5,127 Versions of a Product That Failed Before Finally Succeeding. His Tenacity Reveals a Secret of Entrepreneurship.
-
7 Meaningful Ways Your Business Can Honor Memorial Day
-
Breast Implants Left This Founder With Debilitating Symptoms, So She Launched an Intimate-Apparel Line That Goes Beyond Buzzwords
-
Kids in the Hall's Bruce McCulloch Says TikTok Is the New Punk Rock
-
'I Am Not a Diversity Quota,' Says the Founder Disrupting the Dessert Category
-
Memorial Day Is a Time for Remembrance, So What's With All the Mattress Sales?
-
Pharrell Williams, Contemporary Artist Nina Chanel Abney and Brand-Builder Shaun Neff Announce Launch of Game-Changing NFT Platform