The Decline of Employee Attention and a Possible Solution

Is it time for a boost in team morale and team culture at your company? With so many responsibilities, deadlines and long hours working to meet company goals, it's often difficult to find time to focus on creating an awesome company culture and enhancing team morale. Not only is this important to keep your employees happy and enjoy being at work, it's critical to help them stay motivated and productive.

With so many new cool startup companies being created around Silicon Valley, and friends, colleagues and entrepreneurs looking for help, it's often hard to keep your employees focused. They are constantly being headhunted for other opportunities and startups that are offering stock options, large starting bonuses and even Tesla cars!

Experts say the average employee turnover rate is 4-5 years, although the younger demographic here in the Bay Area often join and quit several companies within one year. While it may be frowned upon to switch companies multiple times per year, the younger demographic still appear to do so, often taking a job at a reputable company just to have it on their resume. This turnover is very costly to employers.

I believe one of the factors contributing to this turnover is the cultural decline of the employee attention span.

Thales Teixeira, an associate professor at Harvard Business School and the publisher of Economics of Attention, says "The cost of attention is the most dramatic business expense increase in the last 25 years." He calculated that the cost of attention has increased 7 to 9-fold in real terms since 1990. He also quotes in a recent Harvard Business School study that "there are only two ways to capture attention; it can be purchased or it has to be earned."

So what's the solution to capturing and increasing the attention of your employees?

A recent WSJ article by Lora Kolodny discusses possible solutions to the question "How do you educate and train a workforce that is more easily distracted than ever?" She writes "As attention spans shrink, companies turn to short digital lessons that workers can access at their convenience".

At Body Flows Corporate Retreats, we believe that finding more efficient ways to train your staff and teach them more skills and knowledge is not the only solution to the declining attention span problem.

We believe that taking your team on a corporate retreat or offsite event can produce significant, positive results and improve the focus, attention and productivity of your employees, without the cost and stress of attending professional training courses and gaining numerous technical certifications.

Referencing the Harvard Business School study above that states "attention can be purchased or it has to be earned", we believe that taking your employees on a corporate retreat is a great way to earn their attention, and is significantly lower in cost than giving all your employees a raise.

Our corporate retreats do not focus on team building or improving teamwork per se. We strive to empower each individual to tap into their true potential and purpose, and find more clarity of how they can contribute and add value to the group. We create a unique space for each individual to more effectively connect, collaborate and create within, whilst also connecting, collaborating and creating amazing things with the group as a whole.

Weaving a sense of mindfulness and creativity throughout the retreat is one of our key values and how we believe our corporate retreats differ from others. We also ensure there is an element of fun, with a variety of optional activities from which to select, so your retreat can be customized for your unique group.

With the theme of "Connect, Collaborate, Create", a Body Flows corporate retreat facilitates "Connection" through yoga and mindfulness for stress reduction, effective "Collaboration" through mindful communication and listening skills, and we inspire "Creativity" for enhanced brainstorming of unique goals, visions and ideas.

Elizabeth Brown, President and CEO of the Community Foundation Sonoma County gave us a wonderful testimonial after we led a corporate retreat in October 2016 for the whole company. "Sally at Body Flows led us through a truly special day for our staff retreat that included mindfulness, stress reduction, yoga, hiking and time for group and self reflection. I have been both a leader and participant in over 20 staff retreats over the years and this one was, hands down, the best. Our team left refreshed and better connected and we have built in some of the themes from the day into our organizational culture. I would highly recommend Sally and Body Flows for a staff retreat."

Lisa Capper, Area Director at a regional health insurance company, wrote after their corporate retreat in June 2016. "Sally really made our department's off-site and bonding event a memorable one! With her strong attention to detail, warming attitude, and thoughtful activities, she created such a positive environment for us all to have a wonderful experience to collaborate together and get to know each other at a different level. Sally made the experience a great venue to bring our team together in a positive way. The location, food and activities made for a perfect corporate offsite."

Benefits of taking your company team on a Body Flows corporate retreat are:

• Strengthens employee relationships on a deeper level.
• Uncovers hidden knowledge, skills and ideas from quieter employees.
• Empowers employees to discover and step into their full potential.
• Enhances communication between employees.
• Gives your employees a break from the office.
• Promotes a sense of fun and camaraderie!

If you are ready to take your company culture to the next level, help your employees stay focused, and give them some space to Connect, Collaborate and Create amazing things together, call us today on 917-913-1144 or email us for more details. We look forward to working with you to customize a unique, meaningful and fun corporate retreat experience for your group!

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Author: Sally Mitchell, Founder of Body Flows Retreats, leads corporate retreats in Sonoma wine country, working with companies all over the Bay Area. After 18 years working on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley at various financial and tech companies, Sally has experienced first-hand the pressures placed on employees, and has experienced a variety of cultures and company outings. She created Body Flows Corporate Retreats in order to help company teams work more effectively with each other, through learning and using the practices of mindfulness, creativity and gratitude. Read more about Sally and Body Flows Retreats here.