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Uh-Oh: The Staff Retreat Turned Into a Work Weekend · The Healthy Church Staff Podcast

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine getting an email announcing a staff retreat.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: A couple days and a lot of time away from the office, a chance to rest, reconnect with other staff members, and just enjoy being together.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: That sounds pretty good, actually.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Great.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then a couple days later, the agenda erupts, and you find out that you're leading a breakout on Friday morning, that there are planning sessions all afternoon.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: The worship team is handling Friday night.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Saturday starts with breakfast at 7 in the morning and ends after another team exercise.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Somewhere in there, you're supposed to feel refreshed, and Sunday you're still responsible for everything you normally do.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: The setting sounds relaxing.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: The schedule sounds exhausting.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Hi there, my name is Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders over ChemistryStaffing.com, and your host right here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast every single weekday.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Today, let's talk about making sure that the retreat that we promise is actually the retreat that our staff actually needs and experiences.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Because getting people away from the church building can absolutely be valuable, but a change of scenery doesn't automatically give somebody a break.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: So before you book the lodge or you build the agenda, answer one question.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: What is this time for?
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe your team needs to work through next year's realities and priorities without the constant interruptions of being in the office.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe a change of pace is really good for that.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's a really good and legitimate reason to get away.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe on the other hand, you need to rebuild some relationships after just a really difficult season.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody's tired.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Or you just want to give your staff some room to rest.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Each one of those things that I just mentioned, those are different goals for a staff retreat.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, each one should produce a different schedule.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: You can combine them, but you do need to make some choices.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Two days can hold only so much.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: If rest is one of your goals, it needs actual space on the calendar for rest, right?
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where good intentions can run into trouble because here's what's going through our head.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: We just spent money on the venue.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody's finally going to be together.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: There are some really important things we've got to discuss, and we've only got so much time to do it.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: The open afternoon starts looking like.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: We could squeeze that conversation in about volunteers during then.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: And then somebody suggests a leadership exercise.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody else wants to share a ministry update.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Before long, before you know it, you filled the hours that were supposed to help people catch their breath with busyness.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: And each edition might actually be a good thing.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: It might be worthwhile.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Together, though, they can change the entire experience.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: So when you review the agenda, look beyond the session titles and look at who's actually doing the work, who has to prepare.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: A night of worship might be meaningful for the team, but somebody still has to choose the songs and rehearse and set up the equipment and troubleshoot the microphone.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's a deal.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's a deal.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: A team dinner might be enjoyable, but if your office manager spends it coordinating meals and cleaning up and that person is still doing work while they're there, ask who gets to participate and who has to produce the experience for everybody else.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Okay?
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Then spread out those responsibilities.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: There's always going to be some responsibilities, but make the plans as simple as possible.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Simplify your plans or bring in help whenever you can.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Have the meals catered instead of having somebody have to go and run to get stuff.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: If the purpose is to care for your staff, then include the people who usually make everything happen.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Also, give people some freedom in how they use their downtime.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Remember one staff retreat.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: This is funny.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: It tells you a little bit about my personality.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: I forget the name of the place.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: It was a beautiful place.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I just had it.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, a beautiful place.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: But for our downtime, we had two choices.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: We had two choices.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: We had river rafting.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like this was like a serious I saw the pictures and I'm glad I didn't go.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Either river rafting, and I'm not a really good swimmer, and water intimidates me, so there you go.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I could either go white water rafting, that's what it was.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Whitewater rafting, or I could go and play golf.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: And you know what?
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not a golfer either.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I had I had either or I ended up going golfing.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: It was the first time I ever golfed.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think I've only golfed twice in my life.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: And it was fun, but it was definitely out of my comfort zone.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Any, I don't know why I went off on that tangent, but to give your people some freedom in how they use their downtime.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: One person may want to just have a long conversation over coffee with another staff member.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Another may want to take a walk.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody else might want to go golfing or go white water rafting.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody may need a nap, and that's absolutely okay.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's absolutely no okay during free time at a staff retreat.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Team connection matters, but so does having a little bit of control over your own time.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: A genuinely open block means that people can step away without feeling like they're failing a hidden test of team command.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Now you don't need to make every activity optional, okay?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Just to be clear about what's required.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Just be clear about what you're requiring and protect the time that you said is free.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Actually make it free time.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Okay?
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: And remember to look at the days surrounding the retreat.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: If your team leaves Saturday afternoon and leads services Sunday morning, when will they prepare?
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Who's covering the work that they would normally have done while they were away?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: The retreat has to fit into their actual workload, or else it is just a work retreat that instead of having some great time away and connecting with team members, it actually doubles the workload if you're careful.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: That might mean meeting during the work week, maybe ending earlier, maybe arranging coverage, or reducing responsibilities for certain team members during that week.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever you choose, though, account for the work instead of assuming that people will somehow squeeze it in as extra work.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: So here's your practical next step.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I know a lot of people do team retreats in the fall, a lot of times they do it in the spring, maybe you're a summer type retreat, I don't know.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: But take the next retreat agenda and label each block with one of these three things.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Work, that's the first block, team connection, you know, group activities to connect the team, or personal downtime.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: And be sure to include your travel and your preparation and your setup and your cleanup.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then prepare the schedule with what you told people the retreat would actually provide.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: If you promised rest and can barely find any in the agenda, you gotta start removing things.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Choose the few conversations that matter the most and give them the time on your agenda.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're unsure what your team needs, ask them.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Ask them before the schedule is finished.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: You may discover that the most helpful thing you can offer is a quiet afternoon with just nothing expected of them.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: A true retreat can be a meaningful investment in your staff.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: They can be memorable.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: I still remember.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Do I want to go whitewater rafting or golfing?
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember even some of the things that we did on that retreat.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: And this was probably 20 years ago.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: It was a meaningful investment in the staff at that time.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: But you need to make the purpose clear.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: You need to build the schedule around it and let people experience exactly what you promised.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Don't do a bait and switch.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the best thing on the agenda is the space that you leave open.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that's been helpful for you here today.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm here every day.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: I love the time we get to spend together here on the podcast.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you'll join me again tomorrow.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: If there's ever any way that I can help you or your church, reach out to me, podcast at chemistry staffing.com, particularly in the areas of staffing.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Questions about healthy church initiatives that you've got going on.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've got a dilemma, a problem on your staff, that you just need an outside set of eyes and ears to help you through.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to be able to connect with you, podcast at chemistry staffing.com.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: All right, that's it for today.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Hope you have a great day, and we'll be back here right again tomorrow.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribe if you haven't already subscribed, and that way you'll get notified, and we'll just have a date every day here on the podcast.