Survey: weekend team retreat or community volunteer day

I want the weekend team retreat.

In our company we are working very busy all the year, and many people only know the people in their own team. A retreat in the lakeside resort is good chance to meet everybody and to relax together. We can do activities like canoe or games, and talk with colleagues from other departments. I think after this, the communication in the office will be more better.

Also the company pays everything, the hotel and the meals, so it is like a small vacation for free. Many of my coworkers didn't take holiday this year because the projects, so they need some rest.

The volunteer day is good idea too. But it is only one day and we work all the time, so we cannot talk much with each other. And some people are not interest in volunteering.

So I think the retreat is better for our team.

I would prefer the community volunteer day.

First, I think it is a good way to help our community. There are many local charities that need volunteers, like food banks and animal shelters. If sixty people from our company work together for a whole day, we can really make a difference for them.

Second, volunteering is also a good team-building activity. When we work together on a real task, like packing food or painting a community centre, we get to know our coworkers in a natural way. It is also good for the company's image, because people will see that we care for our city.

The weekend retreat sounds fun, but many employees have families or other plans on weekends, so some people might not be able to come. The volunteer day happens during a normal workday, so everyone can join.

For these reasons, I think the volunteer day is the better choice for our company this year.

I'd vote for the lakeside retreat, although I can see the appeal of a volunteer day.

Our company has grown from twenty people to sixty in barely three years, and it shows. Most of us now work almost entirely within our own teams, and I'd struggle to name half the people in sales or support. That gap causes real friction: misunderstandings between developers and customer support often take days of email to untangle when a five-minute conversation would do.

Two days together, away from screens and deadlines, would give us the chance to build the kind of relationships that makes that conversation easy. Shared meals and informal evenings by the lake are where those connections tend to form, and structured workshops could tackle some of our cross-team problems directly.

I recognize that a weekend away won't suit everyone, particularly parents. Offering family-friendly activities, or allowing people to join for one day only, would make it more inclusive. A volunteer day is worthwhile, but a few hours side by side rarely builds the deeper connections a growing company needs.

For that reason, Option A would be the better investment.