As a Gen Xer, I have been around long enough to remember corporate retreats as schmoozy events in La Jolla or Miami, where only senior level executives went to sit through presentations from colleagues, play golf and drink a lot—but not so much that you were gossiped about the next day.
As a female executive, you never got in a bathing suit; if you didn’t play golf, you at least got in a golf cart or walked the course with others; and you dressed like Sandra Day O’Connor to the evening events. If a guy got handsy, you told him no and fled to your room claiming to be tired.
I also remember the lean times when corporate retreats were out of favor and you had them once every few years, at a local hotel, but not as a destination where people had to fly or be put up in hotels. But, keep in mind, these were never all-staff events. This was for the gilded elite who sat in the C-suite or had a security pass to get onto the locked C-suite floor.
Today, corporate retreats are back, but they’re called camps, they involve the entire staff, as well as a lot of games and modern-day team bonding exercises, e.g., NOT trust falls. If you are WeWork, they also involve sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. Millennials and Gen Z love these types of retreats and many of the well-funded startups do them.
However, these camps are not just for employees. In the case of makeup company Glossier, their summer camp is an Instagramable moment for young employees to promote their love and loyalty to their employer. The camp has also drawn in consumer fans, who follow the brand and its influencer employees on social media. Were you one of the lucky fangirls who bought a limited edition Camp Glossier t-shirt?
I talk a lot in this blog about how tough it is recruit and retain young talent. Today’s digitally native employees and managers know that promoting their brand to consumers is not just about their product. It is about making their employees happy, too. That’s brilliant brand reputation management and promotion.
If you want to know more about how to recruit and retain young adult talent, send me a message through our "Contact Us" button at JDMAinc.com
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