An increasing number of businesses are choosing to invest in team away days to boost morale during the recession, according to visitBlackpool’s Conference & Meetings team.

Inevitable drops in company morale due to redundancies, pay cuts and longer hours have led to company bosses looking at ways to maintain positive attitudes among remaining staff members, with team outings proving to be the most cost effective and productive.  It’s a solution that Professor Cary L. Cooper agrees with:

“Particularly now it is important for companies to encourage team building activities, as there are fewer people doing more work than previously.”

“Colleagues are now tending to compete with each other for their job security and in this respect it is vital to encourage team building initiatives like these rather than offering individual rewards, such as bonuses, which lead people to looking out for themselves and not their peers.”

While Blackpool has always been one of the country’s top staycation resorts, it has only recently started to attract companies looking to use their facilities for away days and team building events.

The diversity of services and amenities available in Blackpool has led to a 17% increase in enquiries, with companies looking to book corporate days at the likes of Pleasure Beach Resort, the Winter Gardens, Blackpool Tower and more unusual venues such as Blackpool Zoo and the Climbing Wall.

Mandy Tythe-McCallum, Business Tourism Manager for visitBlackpool, said; “The downturn in the economy has left a lot of staff feeling vulnerable and deflated and management teams have started to look at what they can do to improve confidence and morale within the company without overspending. Blackpool has a lot to offer and that has been reflected in the number of enquiries we’ve received over the last few months.”

Professor Cooper, CBE, is Distinguished Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University Management School.  He concludes:

“Businesses need to identify the risks of the current situation and what this means for staff morale, and encourage corporate away days where there are team building activities like this on offer to get people working together instead of against each other.”