Team Away Day

“Perhaps it was the excitement of being away from our Elsecar office for the day, or the promise of a post-work visit to the hotel spa, but there was a palpable enthusiasm in the air. And contribute we did.

It’s certainly testament to the positive and inclusive work culture that we promote here at Hickton that everyone in the team felt motivated and comfortable to get involved with the day’s activities and discussions. We started off with a review of FY23, reflecting on our achievements and the smashing of our targets, before looking forward at our goals and plans for FY24. Then we took a closer look at the company’s vision, mission and values, discussing in groups what each value means to us. We considered how we can apply these values to our daily work practices, discovering that we already do so for the most part; it’s second nature to us. In the afternoon, we worked in groups to think up ‘seeds’ for change in FY24, giving everyone the opportunity to share ideas of how we can develop and improve in the year to come. Some of the ideas shared have already set in motion, with plans to re-introduce a monthly bulletin for our Clerks, attend more events and conferences, and increase our knowledge through further training.

Anyone who has visited our office will tell you that whilst we work incredibly hard, we are a team partial to a bit of silliness every now and again, and there was certainly ample opportunity to satisfy this fun-seeking tendency whilst developing as a team. A variety of creative challenges including lateral thinking tasks and a mini sports day put our teamwork to the test, revealing those in the team with impressive upper arm strength, and those with a healthy competitive streak. And of course, we couldn’t claim to work in the construction industry without spending at least twenty minutes crawling around on the carpet competing against a team of colleagues to build the tallest possible tower out of marshmallows and dry spaghetti. Whether our Clerks would be satisfied with the quality of our workmanship, however, I’m not entirely sure…

To round up the day, we ate together in the hotel’s restaurant, giving another opportunity for that all-important team bonding. We were also lucky enough to be treated to an overnight stay in the hotel (spa visit and dip in the pool optional!) as a celebration for last year’s achievements.”