Rethinking the team dinner
(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY It's the old fashioned way to motivate employees: take your team out for a lavish dinner at the fanciest place in town. Such celebrating certainly has its place, but lately I've heard a few complaints about this business ritual:
1. I work long hours with my team already. I'd rather have an evening at home with my family.
2. Yes, we're on site at a hotel (so option 1 isn't happening) but evenings could still be "me time." I could call a friend, get a workout in, read a book or even watch a movie.
If enough members of your team share these sentiments, or you share them too, then it's time to think a little differently about that boozy, four-course dinner that has you getting home or to your hotel room at 10:30 p.m. or later. The goal is to motivate, and to mentor via relaxed conversations. So how else can you do that?
One option is to switch the meal. You could do a team breakfast or a team lunch. Sure, you won't be drinking (probably), but the absence of alcohol might lead to more productive conversations.
You could also do an event that includes families. Dinners with spouses can involve a lot of logistical scheduling for families, and by the time people have hired a sitter, they'd probably rather go out on a real date (without colleagues). But something like tickets to a baseball game -- with an explicit invitation to all family members including kids -- could work.
If your office is like most, chances are none of you exercises enough. An (optional!) morning run could spur quite a bit of bonding -- and encourage your team members to make fitness a regular part of their lives.
How do you motivate your team -- apart from the team dinner?
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Dennis Wong