One-Day Team Outing in Thrissur: What Can You Fit Between 9 AM and 6 PM?

Most team outings I've seen go the same way. Someone books a hotel hall, there's a buffet, maybe a few games, and by 3 PM half the people are checking the time. So if you've got a team of around ten and one full day, 9 to 6, I'd say skip the hall and go somewhere with actual space to move around.

That's where Sukrutham Farmstay in Thrissur comes in. It's a Farmhouse In Kerala that runs as a real working farm, and guests visit or stay there on top of that, so you're walking around a place where farming is going on every day. Nothing is set up just for show, the farm runs as it always does and your team simply spends the day in it. For a team outing in Thrissur, I'd keep it on the list.

And a one-day team outing in Kerala doesn't need to be complicated. Good food, open ground and some free time, that's most of it.

How the day can go for 10 people

Reach by 9 or so. Tea and something to eat first. Don't start any games right away, because people need a little time to wake up and start talking, especially if they've come after a long drive.

Around 10, just walk around the farm. Nothing fancy. You'll see the fields and the trees, and if you ask the farm staff how something is done, they'll explain it. Usually one person in the group keeps asking questions, and after a while everyone else gets curious too.

By 11:30 you can play. Cricket mostly, since everyone knows it. With ten of you, five on each side works fine. Tug of war or a small race can come later if people still have energy. One thing though, don't let people from the same department stay together, split them up and the game gets much more fun.

Lunch is at 1, home-style Kerala food. Take your time with it. A lot of the real talking happens at lunch, more than in any game.

After that, leave about an hour free. Some will sleep, some will sit outside, some will keep walking around. Don't force an activity here, nobody has the energy for it anyway.

Around 3:30, if you want one small group thing, do it now. A quick game, or even just sitting in a circle and talking about how work has been going, with no laptops around.

At 5, tea and snacks, and a campfire if the weather is fine. Then you leave by 6.

What the team gets out of it

In the office, people mostly talk to their own department. On the farm everyone is mixed up, in the game, at lunch, on the walk, so you end up talking to people you only knew by name before.

The gap between seniors and juniors also gets smaller. When your manager is on the same cricket team as a new member, they just talk like normal people. That usually carries on after the outing too.

I’ve also noticed that quieter people open up more outdoors. Someone who hardly speaks in meetings might be the loudest one during the game, and that surprises everyone a little.

• Better team bonding
• Less work stress
• Easy conversations
• Fresh energy
• Happy memories

How relaxed does it feel?

Yes, it helps a lot. Most of us are looking at a screen from morning till evening, five or six days a week, so being out in fresh air with green all around and no vehicle noise gives the mind a real rest. I've seen people who didn't want to come at first end up being the last ones to leave. And when they go back to work the next day, they usually feel a little less tired than before, which is what a team outing is supposed to do.

Hall or farmstay?

If you're comparing a hotel with the Best Homestay in Thrissur for your team, the difference is easy to see.

What many teams are doing now

Many businesses are no longer taking their teams on long trips due to the need for time off, larger budget and organisation. Taking the team on a short local trip is much easier.

Many are also choosing to take their team on a shorter trip as they come back feeling tired from a long trip. They also often get backed up with work whilst away.