As companies with hybrid models seek new ways to foster team bonding, corporate ski trips are on the rise. These off-sites have become the modern equivalent of the golf course, offering ambitious employees a powerful new arena to build relationships with leadership and accelerate their careers.
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The company culture at Lifetime uses shared physical activityâlike group classes and training sessionsâas a core team-building tool. This practice moves beyond typical corporate bonding, creating a deeper level of trust and shared values among colleagues, which they believe is invaluable in an increasingly remote world.
Informal, human connections at corporate events are not a soft benefit but a key business driver. Gary Vaynerchuk argues that a five-minute personal conversation can be the reason a key employee stays for years, delivering an 'incredible economic impact' that justifies the event's expense.
The most valuable networking often happens spontaneously, outside the official schedule. By moving their next event to an all-in-one resort where everyone stays on-site, the team is intentionally engineering more opportunities for valuable, unplanned interactions at the pool, coffee shop, or lobby.
"Shallow fun," like happy hours, offers a temporary high without lasting impact. "Deep fun" occurs when teams collaborate on activities that improve their shared experience, such as researching the best office coffee. The goal is not the fun itself, but the bonding that happens when a group takes ownership of a shared, meaningful project.
Instead of mandating a return to office, create an appealing environment people *want* to be part of. Use "carrots" like a beautiful office, high-value summits, and flexible coworking budgets. The soft pressure comes from sharing photos and creating a sense of a vibrant, connected in-person culture (FOMO).
The speaker justifies expensive team offsites (nice hotels, nice dinners) as an investment in brand culture. He believes how you treat your team directly "trickles down" to the brand's external perception and ultimately how customers are treated, making it a valuable brand-building exercise, not just a perk.
While remote work is efficient, it lacks opportunities for spontaneous chemistry-building. The speaker prioritizes in-person time for his remote team, noting that camaraderie is built not in meetings but during "the little moments in an Uber" or over lunch. These informal interactions are critical for effective remote collaboration.
Instead of siloing agency partners, Red Wing hosts an annual mid-year offsite for its entire roster (creative, PR, performance). The CEO presents, and agencies collaborate on real projects. This ritual treats them as a true extension of the internal team, driving alignment and better work.
Gensler's strategy for post-pandemic work is to transform the office into a compelling destination people choose to visit. This involves reducing individual desks in favor of diverse, flexible collaboration spaces that offer experiences and social connections unavailable at home, making the commute worthwhile.
Instead of typical corporate offsites, the Tim Hortons marketing team spends a day at one of its children's camps. They participate in team-building activities designed for campers, directly connecting their daily work to the brand's larger purpose and strengthening internal bonds through a shared mission.