How to Host a Company Picnic Your Employees Will Love

So you are hosting a company picnic…*

Kudos! Picnics are a classic choice.

*Note: If you are not hosting a picnic, not only is our clever lead incorrect, but we also think you should reconsider.

Why? Because we love when companies host company picnics. Oh, that’s not enough reason? Okay, here are some cold hard facts:

Why company picnics are great:

• Employees can bring family members – fun for all ages!
• Excellent for teambuilding
• Great morale builder
• Strengthens company’s culture
• Keeps workers refreshed and engaged
• Allows owners/bosses to show appreciation for employees
• They’re fun
• Well, because who doesn’t love food & games?

Because it’s just who we are, we want to help you make this year’s event even more engagement-tastic. (Yes, we just made up a word.)

So, let’s talk plans, shall we?

Tips For Planning Your Company Picnic:

• Think about your company when planning. What is its personality or “culture”? What are your values? What picnic activities would capture these values?
• Have your leadership team express enthusiasm for the event in advance.
• Plan ahead! A well thought out and thoroughly executed picnic can really show your employees how much you appreciate them. But a poorly run or negatively received event can have the opposite effect.

Now let’s talk about the fun stuff— food & activities.

A good old-fashioned Company Picnic typically includes:

• “Cookout” foods such as barbeque, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.
• Sack, 3-legged and wheelbarrow races
• Sport game such as softball, kickball, or volleyball
• Tug of war

How you can mix it up:

• Bring frisbees or kites
• Meet near a lake that offers pedal boats, canoes, kayaks
• Create a scavenger hunt spanning the park
• Rent a food cart for the day in lieu of traditional eats
• Bring face paint, bubbles and/or hula hoops for the little ones— then have
a hula hoop contest for the older kids
• Have outdoor games like cornhole and bocce ball
• Book a family-friendly live music band

Considerations:

• Create a relaxed environment: Of course, it’s nice to have one activity planned (i.e. a scavenger hunt) but too many planned activities might overdo it. Families typically enjoy themselves more when they can pick and choose what they do/how they spend their time at the picnic.
• Keep accessibility issues in mind, especially if you have any employees with restrictions.
• Also, keep in mind that every employee may not be all too excited about the picnic. Whatever the reason, perhaps the physical demands or heat, be sure to let employees know that participation is not mandatory.

As you can see, picnics are a really fun—and delicious!—teambuilding activity. The sun and nice weather really do allow for a fresh way to boost employee morale and engagement, something you should be focused on year round.

With these tips, ideas, and considerations we hope you have the most engagement-tastic picnic yet!

Oh, and if you or your employees are unsure of what to wear, don’t forget to check out our blog on What to Wear to Company Picnic.