Rural retreats most popular for inspiration

At the start a new decade, and with the first signs of recovery from the biggest recession in recent history starting to emerge, businesses are being urged to spend time and resources in developing one of its biggest and most valuable assets – its staff.

In light of a recent survey carried out by recruitment consultants Badenoch & Clark -which revealed that any signs of recovery in 2010 will be accompanied by a mass exodus of staff as more than two-fifths of people surveyed (42 percent) revealed they plan to change jobs this year - staff retention and job satisfaction has never been more important.

Research carried out by Keele Conferences has revealed that most people find their work inspiration away from the office, in a quiet, rural location.

Almost half of those who responded to the survey said their ideal place to find inspiration is at a rural retreat, with more than 42 per cent crediting time away from the office, with their work colleagues, as the best way to get the creative juices flowing.

Nearly two thirds of people surveyed said they sometimes struggle to come up with new ideas in the workplace, with nearly 30 per cent feeling uninspired at their desks. Almost a third also said exercise helped to inspire and motivate them and over 35 per cent admitted to having their best ideas when taking a break away from their desk and office surroundings.

Keele Conferences, who conducted the survey and is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, run a portfolio of meeting, conference and event venues at Keele University’s 617-acre country campus.

Marcus Wilson, Deputy Head of Keele Conferences, said: “It’s clear from the results of our survey that taking time to give employees a change of scenery has a really positive impact on creativity and inspiration, and therefore job satisfaction.

“In the current market we understand that money is tight for many businesses but taking small steps to encourage staff to take a break from their normal surroundings can work wonders for business. This can range from encouraging teams to leave the office for lunch, right through to hosting away days and team events.”

Marcus added: “As part of our 40th anniversary celebrations, we are offering organisers a number of fantastic discount opportunities on any bookings they are looking to place throughout 2010 as a way of sharing our birthday with our customers, and enabling them to take advantage of the best we have to offer, but at a rate that will support the businesses finances, and more importantly, staff development.”

The Keele Conferences’ team hosts and organises meetings and events in a range of different venues including the 19th century stately home, Keele Hall,  with its own lake, forest and gardens; the modern, purpose built, Keele Management Centre; a range of facilities across the campus such as the Chancellor’s and Dorothy Hodgkin buildings which include state-of-the-art  lecture theatres, break out rooms and contemporary dining space as well the Sports Centre offering sports facilities and adaptable indoor space plus an extensive range of outdoor facilities.

Keele Conferences has 40 years’ experience in planning and managing events and can create and stage bespoke meetings, conferences or team building events. To find out more about the packages or tailor made support available from Keele Conferences, or for information about hosting events at Keele University, please contact Keele Conferences on 01782 732020 or enq@kfm.keele.ac.uk