Start the Year with a Motivational Event

Heather Foley explains why hosting a motivational event could help your year start with a bang.

Many companies are very good at client events. They may even have a dedicated department to organise them. Lavish venues are booked, sales pitches are polished and high-standard hospitality is arranged.

However, the internal company event is rather a different story, as, during periods of austerity, companies seek to channel funds into sales and new business rather than looking inwards. Such companies should be careful, as this can be a rather short-sighted move.

Organisations should not underestimate the value of promoting the business to its employees through activities such as social events, frequent two-sided communication and celebrations of key achievements.

There are a number of reasons for placing such importance on internal promotion:

Getting people fired up

Very little can beat an exciting and fun-filled company event to really motivate employees. It’s an opportunity for people to relax and talk about something other than the latest sales figures. It’s also an opportunity for colleagues from different departments to appreciate each other’s value in the business.

You will see that the effects of this event can last longer than you first imagined. Stories will be retold and bonds will be re-established in their telling. Some tales might even make it into your company’s folklore!

One direction

The company ‘do’ is a great vehicle for communicating that year’s strategy or launching your company’s latest product. It’s also an ideal opportunity for leaders to deliver the company message en masse. Employees are kept informed of the company’s value system and can appreciate where their department’s output can contribute to the overall business objective. Furthermore, in such an environment, leaders can communicate to all employees the bigger picture: the business world and the company’s place in it.

Thank you

Perhaps most vitally, an internal office function is the ideal chance to encourage unity within an organisation, a feeling of ‘we’re in this together’. It gives business leaders the chance to value employees, recognise individual or group talent and say thank you – two words that can inspire and motivate employees more than any others!

Don’t cancel your next internal event, whether it be an impressive kick-off meeting or just Christmas drinks. Seize the opportunity to gather your employees together to share in their togetherness and remind them of your company message. The office party may be dead, but corporate maintenance can still be alive and well!

Heather Foley is a consultant at ETS, a UK-based HR consultancy.