Team Away Day

[GrumpyLovegood]

I manage a team of 25 staff. I have been asked by my manager to arrange a team Away Day, for next month. Short notice.
It will be a local venue with food and drink laid on, but what the day entails is up to me.
It has been a very difficult couple of years for the team so I want to focus on staff wellbeing and give us a well-deserved actual break away from the work environment, a chance to relax as a team.
There will be couple of short work-focussed sessions, looking at where we are heading as a team and I am arranging for an external facilitator to talk about individual and team strengths based on analysis from pre-completed questionaires.
I am also arranging for 20 minute head/ hand massages available in a side room.
Any ideas how I can structure the day without it being boring or seen as work away from work?
We are a more mature team, mostly in our 40s or older with a few returned retirees. While they are lovely, the staff are cynical and a bit negative in their outlook and likely to sneer at ice breakers or games.
We are nurses/OTs/support workers/psychiatrists /psychologists/social workers from a mental health hospital.
I am unsure of even how to entice staff to attend as rotas are already done and while they would be payed for attendance many will be reluctant to give up a day off, understandably.
Any suggestions or advice appreciated.

Get some service users in to talk about their experience and do some values based work around this?
Have a board for any issues raised which can’t be addressed within the team and need to be raised at an organisational level?
Have proper outcomes from the day and follow up any action plans.
do a WRAP for individuals and then transfer this to the team (ask each question for the team).
I’ve done a lot of these as an external facilitator, the WRAP usually works well even with cynical teams and will be a useful tool for them to use personally and clinically

Thank you ineedsun, those are really helpful ideas.

Get cover in so the day is not in addition to their working hours. Honestly, there is no point in paying lip service to staff well being with a massage while also pressuring them to work additional hours.

As an older nurse myself, I assure you that no one will believe you care about their wellbeing if you do this.

It is another day if work, so don't force the team to try to pretend it is leisure time. That doesn't mean it can't be interesting or helpful. Is there anyone in the team who might present on some recent research in your field. Or might your team be interested in the professional nurse advocate programme?

This.

Something that would probably be appreciated in my team though, if we had to endure this, would be for someone to come and explain pension to us......

To be blunt, it's laughable to expect them to give up their day off so you can focus on their wellbeing.

There’s no chance I’d be attending something like this on my DAY OFF!

This is why it's ridiculous to have training on well-being!! Why not give them a day off instead??

The best thing you can do is cancel it last minute so they actually get their day off. Sorry you’ve been landed with this absolute hospital pass of a task.

In all seriousness though, I would never have a head massage if I intended on seeing anyone I knew. It messes my hair so much.