Corporate away days are great at boosting staff morale, developing team comradery, and showing appreciation for employees by giving them a day off from their normal tasks. 

While there are lots of options for different types of team-building days, from interactive masterclasses to city-wide scavenger hunts, some of the most productive are those that get workers out in nature.

Here are some of the top benefits of hosting an outdoor corporate day.

• Get back to nature

Employees are often stuck at their desks, or, these days, in their homes, or rustling around a busy workplace. Therefore, having the opportunity to head outdoors, get some fresh air and see the natural landscape can do wonders for their mental health. 

Being in nature has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels, helping workers to improve their focus, be more creative, and have a greater sense of intuition, all of which will have benefits in the office.

Spending time in the mountains, among the forest trees, or by the beach can also improve cognitive function, help staff to avoid burnout, give them a much-needed rest, and calm their central nervous system. 

• Improve work-life balance

The majority of workers enjoy being physically active in nature, whether they are going clay pigeon shooting, go-karting or quad biking. Therefore, bosses can be confident that by signing their team up to an outdoor away day they will give their employees a good time and improve their work-life balance. 

As recruitment search engine Indeed explains: “Outdoor team-building activities help reduce stress, prevent burnout, boost mental health, increase positivity and enhance employees’ productivity towards maintaining a work-life balance.”

By encouraging a better work-life balance, employees will be able to perform better and more willingly at their jobs. 

• Improve communication 

One of the biggest advantages of organising a corporate day is to improve communication within the team. Although this can be achieved with other activities, being in the great outdoors enhances the need to trust each other more and, therefore, communicate well. 

By learning how to give and take instructions, explain what is happening, discuss goals, and come up with strategies, this will have a positive impact when everyone returns to the office. 

• Boost company loyalty

Rewarding employees with fun days out helps to boost their loyalty to the company. As they are recognised as being valued by the business, they are more likely to remain an employee there for longer. 

What’s more, by helping to build friendships among staff, this gives employees more of an incentive to stay, as they won’t want to leave the company and not be able to work with their pals. 

• Increase confidence

It is important for companies to do what they can to increase confidence in their staff members, as this will bring out their best performance. 

Hosting outdoor days helps to boost employees’ confidence, particularly if they have to take part in activities they haven’t done before. Learning a new skill and doing something out of their comfort zone will have a positive impact on their self-esteem, as they can see how they have accomplished a physical and mental challenge successfully. 

This will translate to the office too, as they know they can try something new, even if they are nervous about it.