‍Summary

• Boost Retention & Productivity: Discover how off-site retreats can increase employee retention by 82% and improve productivity by 70%!
• Solve the Onboarding Problem: Learn why traditional onboarding methods fail and how retreats provide a human-centered solution that sets new hires up for success.
• Build Stronger Teams: Find out how retreats foster team bonding, trust, and collaboration.
• Immerse in Company Culture: See how retreats help new hires connect with your company’s mission and values!
• Drive Engagement & Loyalty: Understand how retreats make new hires feel valued and invested, leading to higher engagement, job satisfaction, and long-term retention.
• Complement Other Strategies: Learn how retreats work seamlessly with on-site and virtual strategies to create a comprehensive onboarding experience.
• Real-Life Success Stories: Get inspired by real examples of companies that transformed their onboarding process with retreats!

Onboarding is overlooked, undervalued, and yet absolutely crucial. A strong onboarding process can increase retention by 82% and improve productivity by 70%. Traditional onboarding can leave new starts underprepared and overwhelmed. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can set up new starts for long-term success. The solution is an off-site retreat. In this article, we’ll explain how and why. We’ll also back it up with actionable examples, numbers, and case studies. OnsiteHub can plan it for you.

Why Onboarding Matters (And Where Most Companies Go Wrong)

Only 12% of employees feel their company does a great job onboarding new hires. Companies forget that they’re dealing with human beings and not a piece of admin that needs to be checked off. This leads to new hires feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, and unsure of their place in the company culture.

‍The Consequences of Bad Onboarding

‍High Employee Turnover: Poor onboarding leads to 20% of new hires leaving within the first 45 days.

‍Low Employee Engagement: New hires who feel unsupported are 2x more likely to look for other job opportunities, leading to disengagement and lack of motivation.

‍Slower Productivity: Without proper onboarding, it takes new hires up to 8 months to reach full productivity, delaying their ability to contribute effectively.

‍Confusion and Overwhelm: Lack of clear guidance leaves new hires feeling lost and unsure of their roles, leading to mistakes and inefficiencies.

‍Poor Cultural Fit: When onboarding fails to communicate company values, new hires may feel misaligned with the organization’s mission, resulting in dissatisfaction.

‍Negative Employer Branding: Bad onboarding experiences can damage your company’s reputation, making it harder to attract top talent in the future.

‍Increased Costs: Replacing disengaged or departed employees can cost 6-9 months of their salary, draining company resources.

‍Burnout Among Existing Teams: Poorly onboarded hires often require more support from colleagues, leading to increased workload and burnout for existing team members.

At a Glance: Why Off-Site Retreats Are the Ultimate Onboarding Tool

Let’s look at the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives! 82% of employees are more likely to stay with a company that offers a structured onboarding process. Off-site retreats are a strategic investment in your team’s success. Here's what they do:

1. Encourage Team Bonding and Relationship Building

60% of new hires struggle to build meaningful connections with colleagues in their first few months, leading to feelings of isolation and disengagement. Outside the pressure of being on the clock and in the office, newbies can relax, and focus on building solid relationships with their colleagues. 

2. Provide a Break from the Traditional Office Environment

81% of new hires report feeling overwhelmed by the formal office atmosphere. Retreats offer a refreshing change of scenery, helping new hires relax, open up, and build stronger connections with their team.

3. Immersive Experience in Company Culture and Values

With only 12% of employees feeling their company effectively communicates its mission and values during onboarding, company culture and values can sometimes feel generic and insincere. Investing time and resources in a corporate retreat is a bulletproof way to show new employees that company culture isn’t just empty words. Your investment encourages them to invest too. 

4. Enhances Employee Engagement and Retention

In the US, disengaged employees cost companies 450–550 billion a year in lost productivity. Plus, the average cost of a bad hire is up to 30% of the employee's first-year earnings. Retreats make new hires feel valued and invested, leading to higher engagement, job satisfaction, and long-term retention.

‍BONUS ADVICE: Check out these proven employee retention strategies to save your company money! 

Deep Dive: The Detailed Benefits of How Off-Site Retreats Supercharge Onboarding

1. Team Cohesion: Building Stronger Relationships Among Team Members

Being a new person can be lonely. It’s not easy to build new connections with colleagues in an office while learning a new job. Corporate retreats. They remove the formal environment of the office, for a relaxing space, where the new person can build more sincere connections with their new team-mates. For example, see how daily.dev went to Belgrade to build team cohesion.‍

How It Works:

• Team-building exercises like escape rooms, scavenger hunts, or outdoor adventures encourage collaboration and problem-solving.
• Icebreaker games and group discussions help new hires feel more comfortable opening up and forming genuine connections.
• Social events, such as dinners or casual networking sessions, provide opportunities for organic relationship-building.

‍GET STARTED, NOW: Here are 37 fun team bonding activities that you can use to build better relationships in your team. 

2. Cultural Immersion: Understanding Company Values and Mission

Traditional onboarding often fails to communicate the company’s mission and values effectively. New hires are typically overwhelmed with info when they first start:  Colleagues' names, passwords, protocols, email setups, Slack channels, meeting schedules, project deadlines, software logins, expense reports, time-off policies, dress codes, team hierarchies, office layouts, cafeteria hours, parking permits, security badges, training modules, and performance expectations.‍

With so much to absorb, it’s no surprise that the company’s mission and values often get buried in the chaos—leaving new employees wondering, "What does this place even stand for?"

Retreats cut through the noise and give new hires a chance to truly connect with your culture. Instead of drowning in logins and protocols, they experience your mission and values firsthand through:

• Storytelling sessions with leadership, where the "why" behind the company comes to life.
• Interactive workshops on company values, making them tangible and actionable.
• Role-playing activities that immerse them in real-world scenarios, showing how your mission translates into everyday decisions.

By stepping away from the daily grind, retreats create space for new hires to absorb what really matters—your culture—without the distractions of passwords, policies, and paperwork.

DEEP DIVE: Learn more about how retreats have magical powers when it comes to boosting company culture.

3. Skill Development: Workshops and Activities That Enhance Job-Related Skills

New people might not have all the skills and knowledge to be successful straight away. The longer that goes on, the greater the stress on the employee, and the greater loss of productivity. On a team retreat, new people can learn hands-on, in a fun and engaging environment - a place and time where they can fail while it doesn’t matter. You can see an example of this accelerated skill-building in action in QuoIntelligence's trip to Rimini!

‍How It Works:

• Workshops on topics like communication, leadership, and problem-solving equip new hires with essential soft skills.
• Skill-building activities, such as mock client presentations or strategy simulations, allow new hires to practice and refine their abilities in a low-pressure environment.
• Expert-led sessions provide insights and best practices from industry leaders or senior team members.

4. Stress Reduction: Offering a Break from the Traditional Office Environment

The office can feel intimidating and overwhelming for new hires, especially when they’re juggling the pressures of learning a new role and navigating office dynamics. Retreats provide a refreshing change of scenery, allowing new hires to relax, recharge, and approach their roles with a fresh perspective.‍

How It Works:

• A retreat’s informal setting encourages new hires to let their guard down and focus on building relationships.
• Activities like yoga sessions, nature walks, or mindfulness workshops help reduce stress and promote mental well-being.
• Free time allows new hires to unwind and reflect, returning to work with renewed energy and focus.

‍DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT: Are you up to date with the benefits of working remotely? Read on to discover how. 

5. Networking Opportunities: Interacting with Senior Leaders and Key Stakeholders

During regular work hours, new hires won’t get to connect with senior people. That’s understandable. Everyone is busy. However, this creates a disconnect for new hires, from the senior staff and the bigger company picture. The dynamic of an off-site retreat changes this entirely. Leaders and stakeholders are no longer too busy. Their time is specifically earmarked to network!

‍How It Works:

• Fireside chats or Q&A sessions with senior leaders provide insights into the company’s vision and strategy.
• Networking events, such as cocktail hours or roundtable discussions, encourage informal conversations and relationship-building.
• Mentorship pairings introduced during the retreat help new hires feel supported and valued from day one.

BUILD BETTER LEADERS: New hires thrive under good leaders. And the best way to have good leaders is to utilize leadership retreats. 

A well-structured retreat strengthens teams, boosts morale, and deepens cultural connections. For a full step-by-step guide on planning the perfect retreat, check out our Ultimate Retreat Planning Guide.

How Off-Site Retreats Complement Other Onboarding Strategies

Here’s the thing, for an off-site retreat to work, it needs to follow through. There’s no point going through all this time and effort for things to stay the same back at the office. Keep the positive moment going! Complement the success of your retreat with some top on-site (or virtual) onboarding methods. 

1. Mentorship Programs: Building Relationships That Last

As we mentioned, new hires can feel isolated; and unsure where to turn for guidance. Give the new person a buddy. A mentor. Someone who knows the company, and who can look out for them.

‍How Retreats Compliment Mentorship:

• Retreats are the perfect setting to kick-start mentor-mentee relationships in a relaxed, informal environment.
• Activities like group discussions, team-building exercises, and social events help mentors and mentees connect on a personal level.

2. Shadowing: Learning by Observing

Theory and practice are two different things; knowing how something is done isn’t the same as being able to do it. Being thrown in the deep end to do it in real life leads to slower learning time, stress, and lost productivity. A smoother learning curve is watching someone else do it - without pressure on the student.

‍How Retreats Compliment Shadowing:

• Retreats offer a unique opportunity for informal shadowing during workshops, team activities, and networking sessions.
• New hires can observe leaders and peers in a variety of settings, from collaborative problem-solving to leadership discussions.

3. On-Site or Virtual Bootcamps: Accelerating Skill Development

Traditional training sessions can feel overwhelming and disconnected from real-world applications. Bootcamps provide intensive, hands-on training that equips new hires with essential skills and knowledge.‍

How Retreats Compliment Bootcamps:

• Retreats can serve as the launchpad for boot camps, offering a relaxed environment where new hires can absorb information without the pressure of the office.
• Workshops and skill-building sessions during the retreat can complement boot camp content, reinforcing key concepts through interactive activities.

4. Interactive Training Sessions: Engaging Through Experience

Passive training methods often fail to engage new hires or leave a lasting impact. Interactive training sessions, such as role-playing, simulations, and group discussions, make learning dynamic and memorable.‍

How Retreats Compliment Interactive Training:

• Retreats provide the perfect setting for immersive, hands-on learning.
• Activities like role-playing scenarios, problem-solving challenges, and group discussions allow new hires to apply their knowledge in a safe, supportive environment.

5. 1-on-1 Sessions: Personalized Support and Feedback

New hires often feel overlooked in group settings and may hesitate to ask questions. Regular 1-on-1 sessions with managers or HR representatives provide personalized support and feedback.‍

How Retreats Compliment 1-on-1 Sessions:

• Retreats create a relaxed atmosphere where new hires feel more comfortable opening up to their managers.
• Informal settings, like coffee chats or walks, can make 1-on-1 sessions feel less intimidating and more productive.

What Sets OnsiteHub Apart for Planning Off-Site Retreats

Firstly, we’ve got a track record in quality retreat planning. This instills trust in all our existing and soon-to-be clients. For more than 5 years we’ve organized over 100 successful off-site retreats. What sets us apart is our team of more than 20 local experts. So, on the ground, you’re getting an authentic experience. They keep our clients away from tourist traps and bad vendors - and they point you to the hidden gems and unmissable experiences!

But even before that, from choosing a location to the logistics, every one of our retreats is tailored to your team and your goals - from the first phone call to the post-event review. And, as we’re human beings too - transparency, honesty, and budgets matter to us. That’s something that we make sure our clients enjoy too! 

In short, we’re experts at corporate retreat planning. This means that when you collaborate with us, you’re free to keep cultivating your expertise in whatever field you are in.  

Ready to Transform Your Onboarding Process?

Off-site retreats are more than just a trend—they’re a proven strategy for creating engaged, connected, and high-performing teams. With OnsiteHub, you can turn your onboarding process into an unforgettable experience that sets your new hires up for success. Don’t settle for mediocre onboarding. With OnsiteHub, you can create a retreat that leaves a lasting impact on your new hires—and your company’s future.