Offsite meetings valued by employees

Research into the value of face-to-face communication by imago shows that employees value offsite meetings compared to those held in-house.

The research – Does the future have room for face-to-face communication – was conducted among a sample of more than 750 event organisers, delegates, graduate and undergraduate students.

The research revealed that delegates felt getting to know colleagues outside the office was the most valuable element of an offsite meeting, followed by increasing learning ability away from office distractions and meeting new people that encouraged new thinking.

Respondents who took part in the focus group sessions agreed that a neutral environment encouraged a fresh approach to thinking, with interactive sessions and good food, showed investment in employees to make them feel rewarded.

Emma Boynton, Head of Sales and Marketing at imago, commented: “All too often meetings are arranged in-house. While this is convenient it often doesn’t lead to productive outcomes for those attending or the organisers. Holding a meeting offsite should not just be seen as a day away from the office. Our research reveals that employees get more out of going to meetings that are not held in familiar surroundings – it encourages them to get to know their colleagues, increases their learning ability and by meeting new people it encourages a different way of thinking. All of these elements are beneficial to those attending and the businesses they work for as it provides a greater return on investment.”

The research was undertaken by Loughborough University and imago. The Right Solution provided methodology, analysis and validation of the research. The final paper is available from go.welcometoimago.com/meet-the-future. Follow the debate and share thoughts about the research on Twitter via #futureF2F.