GOLD COUNTRY BUSINESS TOURISM
Justworks, the ability to give employees a
chance for face-to-face connection (from
a safe distance) in an environment outside
their daily norm, which can open the
door for social bonding and better teamwork.
Many venues in the Sierra foothills
offer team-building exercises within that
new environment to get the most out of
the hours or days of a retreat.
“Getting people out of the office and
into nature allows for an aspect of team
building that can’t be found anywhere
else,” says Daniella Faieta, director of
Coloma Resort, which offers facilitated
team-building ropes-course programs,
indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, and
a variety of accommodations (including
RV, glamping and tent camping sites)
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3701 Trade Way • Cameron Park
along the South Fork American River.
“Activities like the ropes course and
whitewater rafting push people out of
their comfort zones — that element of
adventure and excitement makes them
work as a team and trust each other,
which helps them build new relationships
they’ll be able to take back to the office,”
says Faieta.
Building trust is a key component of
corporate retreats. Establishing trust,
communication and teamwork are the
most common goals for businesses who
use team-building exercises as part of
their retreats, according to Stephanie Sibille,
managing partner of Creative Horizons
Training, a team-building firm that
plans events, workshops and simulations
for companies throughout the state.
“There’s a big lack of human connection
right now,” says Sibille, who has
organized recent events for military and
health care organizations at Rancho
Murieta’s The Murieta Inn & Spa. “We’re
seeing virtual corporate retreats (on
platforms like) Zoom, but you really can’t
beat in-person, face-to-face connection
(when public health protocols allow it).
The need for human connection hasn’t
gone away just because we’re meeting
through computer screens. Once you put
a face to a name, it helps the communication
piece — it’s easier to have an
interaction once you’ve had face time.
We can’t wave a magic wand (and make
people trust each other), but we can talk
about consensus-building tools and do
activities that help teams learn how to
work together better.”
A Harvard Business Review study
found that consensus building — in which
“everyone on the team talks and listens in
roughly equal measure” — is one of five
important factors of a successful team.
Others include interacting directly with
other team members (not just the team
leader) and taking occasional breaks to
“go exploring outside the team.” That’s
where activities like rafting, ropes courses,
Olympic-style competitions, scavenger
hunts and even giant Jenga games
84 comstocksmag.com | July 2020