As we wrap up summer and kick off fall, it’s a great season for a corporate family picnic! Not only does a corporate family picnic show your employees some extra appreciation, it also shows that you value their families too. Why should you consider a corporate family picnic, and how can you make it fun for kiddos and adults alike? Let’s dive in!
Five Reasons to Host a Corporate Family Picnic
Still not sure if a corporate family picnic is a worthwhile investment for your business? Here are five benefits to hosting one for your team:
1. Encourage Workplace Mingling
Getting your employees together outside of the office is a great way to help them meet coworkers from different departments who they might not otherwise interface with on a regular basis. In this relaxed, fun environment, employees can really get to know each other and build personal relationships separate from the work they do. Departments, divisions, and deadlines carry less weight when you’re just hanging out at a picnic. In turn, this will make for a happier and more connected workplace!
2. Enhance Teamwork and Communication
The company that plays together, stays together. When your team knows one another more casually, they can better understand each other when working together. This means better teamwork and communication without needing to pack out their days with boring seminars on how to work with different people. Rapport built at a picnic can translate beautifully into workplace collaboration.
Humans are relational by nature, and a corporate picnic is a great way to tap into this and help your employees communicate better—especially if you throw in some competitive games that require teamwork in lieu of trust falls and other team building exercises.
3. Treat Your Team!
What better way to show your employees how thankful you are for all of their hard work and dedication than with a super fun event? A corporate family picnic allows your employees to relax and enjoy good food, good friends, and lots of fun activities alongside their loved ones who they normally don’t see much during a typical work day. A tasty meal, fun beverages, great games, and a fun environment are all great ways to really treat your team.
To uplevel the impact of this staff appreciation event, don’t just make it a weekend or after-work thing. Give your entire company the day off to instead come to this super fun event! They’ve earned it!
4. Bring-your-family-to-work Day, but Better
It can be fun for a child or spouse to come to work and see what the day-to-day is like, but it also can be very boring for them. A corporate family picnic lets your employees’ loved ones get to know each other. Spouses, partners, kiddos, even parents! It also lets your employees show them around — without disrupting an actual workday when productivity is needed.
5. Building Blocks of Company Culture
Particularly after the Pandemic years, building face-to-face camaraderie is top of mind for many companies. Many organizations like to brag about their supportive, friendly company culture. But to bring company culture to life, you need to take action. A corporate family picnic is a great way to live out the culture that is paramount to who you are as an organization! In other words, you’re “putting your money where your mouth is,” and really showing your team how great it is to do life together.
How to Make Your Corporate Family Picnic Fun for All Ages
For a great event, you need three key elements to make it happen: the right venue, the right food, and the right activities!
Venue
For the venue, when we think “picnic,” we think outside. If your workplace has a big pavilion or field, that will work perfectly! If not, find a venue or a local park where you can set up your event. Make sure you include clear directions on where the picnic is happening on the company email and event posters! And it’s important to keep inclusivity top of mind: Make sure your venue is accessible for your team members and their families.
Food
Food can be either catered, or you can just buy tons of chips, hot dogs, and toppings and task a few grill-savvy employees with cooking up the meats. Set everything up on a bunch of tables with paper plates and cups (and have plenty of trash cans nearby) and you’re good to go! Keep the food simple and family-friendly, and ideally easy to tote around on a plate without needing to actually sit at a table when eating. And to make sure everyone stays safe at your corporate family picnic, don’t forget food safety: Make sure to note anything with allergens, and take special care with foods that could spoil in warm weather!
Activities
Now, for the activities! Less structure is generally best. Why? You’ll have a lot of employees and their families in and out throughout the day, so you don’t want too many scheduled events. Instead, rent a few amazing inflatables or games that party guests can enjoy at their leisure! We have a few specific recommendations to help you start planning…
Best Party Rentals for a Corporate Family Picnic
- Dual Wave Wet/Dry Slide for classic inflatable fun
- 5-in-1 Combo with a themed banner to match your picnic’s vibe
- Triple-Lane Fun Run to get competitive with coworkers
- Dunk Tank to put the boss or employee-of-the-month in (you know you want to!)
- Bubble Soccer for a group activity that will have everyone rolling with laughter (or because they got knocked over — again!)
Looking for something a bit different for your corporate family picnic in Kansas City? Take a look at our full shop of rentals and contact us for more information!