Volunteering: team building from a different angle

We often call volunteers in a team ‘volunteam’. We know it isn’t a real word, but the principle of it is an interesting one, and can often be a good alternative way of looking at team building.

What is the value in volunteering in a group?

Volunteering in a team can often leave you with higher energy levels, whether you are volunteering with your colleagues or some people outside of work. When you volunteer, you aren’t getting paid; you’re giving back to the community and are helping to achieve something good.

Working towards this end goal with other individuals who want the same outcome can make you feel part of something bigger, which is a positive feeling. Working in a team also means you have to communicate to others about what role each person has, and how they contribute.

What are the benefits of corporate volunteering?

For corporate teams, volunteering as a team on a project outside of work can help bring the team together and improve communication skills. It can help increase motivation and develop a cohesive team.

In addition, you are having a positive social and environmental impact, so you are contributing to these values and targets.

What can we learn from Moroccan builders?

A while ago, we visited a relief project in Morocco that was building new homes for widows and the very poor, following the earthquake in 2004.  Incredibly, over 5 years later, 12,000 homes had been destroyed, and an enormous number of people were still trying to survive without a home in the hills around Al Hoceima….

A day in the life of an event manager

From protecting the event equipment from monkeys to facilitating a team-building programme for 140 managers, event management can require a lot of different skills. Here we share an example of what a day in the life of an event manager might look like, based on an event we ran in the Caribbean a few years ago.

Getting to the Caribbean

Trying to explain to the curious staff at the Virgin check-in desk quite why we needed two aluminium pyramids, 65 hoola-hoops and 140 white baseball caps was the easy part… Managing to make 200 lengths of rope, 35 pencil cases, staff uniforms, assorted event equipment and a bundle of paperwork meet the strict baggage restrictions was not so easy.

The look on the honeymooners’  and holiday makers’  faces as we struggled across the terminal with our  peculiar luggage was priceless at 5am in the morning. Little did we know what lay ahead; we faced a 9 hour flight sitting with the Barmy Army England cricket supporters also on their way to the Caribbean. Let’s just say we got no sleep whatsoever!…

How to Plan a Successful Corporate Event

If you need to plan a corporate event, you may be feeling pressure to ensure it is a successful event. However, it doesn’t need to be. We have put together a list of handy tips to help make sure you get the best out on a corporate event:

1. Be clear about your objectives

Before you even start thinking about content, the venue or even a date, you need to establish what it is you’re holding the event for. Is it to communicate a particular message,  to announce a new initiative,  to motivate staff, or purely as a social and fun occasion? In particular, ask yourself what would a successful event look like? The rest of the planning – style, content and delivery – should then refer back to these objectives….

Unthinkable thinking

The world has changed and so have our lives. We may have even adopted a new outlook, refocused on what really matters –health over wealth, friends over followers. We could be forgiven for feeling that we’ve done enough, we’ve adapted and changed to cope with our new reality.

Have we done enough? In the months and years to come, it won’t be sufficient to simply cope. We must be prepared to reinvent our products, our work and ourselves to thrive in a future which is hard to imagine. Many others have written on the societal and economic changes we are likely to encounter, so I won’t elongate this piece by repeating their words. My concern today is with our thinking. How has this changed and does it need to?

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Our Shed is on TV

Here at Fresh we have a shed, it’s quite a special shed, originally built in the 16th Century from reclaimed ships’ timbers.

More recently we’ve brushed away the cobwebs and breathed new life into this ancient building. Now known as Wellbeing Barn it has become a multi-use space for team away days and small group retreats. Late last year it caught the eye of the BBC and has also become the set for a series of children’s nature shows.

If you’re looking for a private and unique space we’d love to hear from you.

An Unlikely Leadership Truth

Way back in March 2016 we wrote about the appeal of maverick leaders. At that time Barak Obama was US president, David Cameron was UK Prime Minister and the Zika virus was striking fear into travellers.

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Is Your Job Pointless?

In his recently published book anthropologist David Graeber suggests that up to 40% of jobs have little meaning and purpose. His theory is backed by a 2015 YouGov survey which found that 37% of respondents believe that their jobs make no “meaningful contribution to the world”.

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How You Feel on Monday Morning Could Indicate Your Life Expectancy

Ikigai, pronounced ee-key-guy, an unfamiliar word to me, is very familiar to the Japanese, although there’s no direct translation in English. The definition isn’t complex though. Ken Mogi, a neuroscientist and author of Awakening Your Ikigai defines it as “your reason to get up in the morning”.

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Is it Time to Rethink Intelligence?

If you’ve considered buying a new car recently you’ll have been offered features such as lane assist, self-parking and satellite navigation. Cars have become cleverer with fully automated vehicles on the near horizon. At the same time, Google now predicts our searches, Apple can recognise our faces and Facebook seems to know everything about us!…

Escape Rooms

Escape rooms are now found in cities across the world. They make a great activity for a small group of friends but their size and location limits the appeal for many corporate groups.
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