While attending a conference, should a leader party with employees? Often these events have a scheduled open night, when people can explore nearby attractions.
Let’s say employees are eager to let off some steam and invite you to join them. Recently, I asked my LinkedIn connections about how you should approach after-hours, off-site celebrations. Here’s how they responded:
- Yes, good for team building: 41%
- Make a brief appearance: 52%
- Skip it. Could be awkward: 6%
- Go but be like a chaperone: 1%
While this isn’t a case of a right or wrong answer, it’s important to think about the right response for you. So should a leader party with employees at a conference? For some, this might involve a brief discussion with your HR department. Let’s discuss your options, now, so you’ll know how to react when you’re invited to a celebration.
Team Building
Spending your time with your employees, outside the job, can help grow connections. You’ll find out things about them that you didn’t know.
Also, your team may see you as more of a person and not just the boss. Consider whether not going on an employee outing sends a negative message to your team.
If you have a good reason for staying in your room, make sure you communicate that to people. These reasons could include things like checking in with family, doing urgent work remotely, or preparing for an early start the next day.
The Brief Appearance
In this popular choice, you go to the event, are seen, and then call it a night. You’ve checked the box for team camaraderie but are not staggering home at a late hour.
Knowing when to go is important. Rather than treating the event like a revolving door, you spend some time with a few people. Maybe you buy a round of appetizers.
Skip It
In some cases, the leader may want there to be a perceived difference between management and employees. There may be the feeling that going to party with employees will make them uncomfortable.
This can be true if there’s a big age gap or life experience gap. Some bosses may have hung up their party hats years ago and would prefer spending a quiet evening in their room or networking with their peers.
This option does provide some distance from potentially bad or questionable behavior.
You’re the Chaperone
For this choice, you’ve embraced an oversight role. You’ll keep an eye on people and not dive fully into the celebrations.
While you get credit for being at the event, you don’t get to fully enjoy it. For some, this is a good tradeoff, as you can prevent potential problems from happening.
Let’s Create a Memorable Meeting
