School of the Wild
  • Home
  • About
  • For Teams
    • Seed: One day team building
    • Shift: Two+ day company offsite
    • Outdoor Team Building in London
    • Outdoor Team Building in Brighton
  • For Leaders
    • Transform: Leadership Team Development
    • Threshold: for leaders at a crossroads
  • Case Studies
  • Insight
  • Contact

Insight

Is 24-hour Always-On Connectivity Causing a Burnout Culture in Your Organisation?

18/4/2019

 
What does burnout mean for your organisation and how can you use culture change and the power of nature to help your teams to thrive instead? Here’s a 5-step toolkit to cope with an always-on world. Words by Lauren Psyk
Picture
Photo by ​Victoria Heath on Unsplash
In a 24-hour, globally connected world, we are always-on - spending our entire lives connected to technology, with instant access to the world around us.

There are undoubtedly positive benefits to business and organisations from this state of 24-hour connectivity.

You can be more productive by managing projects using cloud based tools; you’ve got the convenience of being able to access everything you need, from meals to travel, with the touch of a button; and you can easily serve international markets during their waking hours, as working across different time zones and having staff based across the globe is becoming de rigueur.

However, it's also becoming clear that it’s not all sunshine and roses.

You may be able to have a gourmet meal delivered at all hours of the day and night, but what is this state of being always-on doing to your mental and physical health, and the health of your team?
​

Read More

Collaboration, impact, and purpose. How campfires help business leaders develop a plan for the future

15/4/2019

 
In the last few months, School of the Wild has been convening groups of business leaders to explore what we can do to address global social and environmental challenges, and how to make the world a better place. Here, business coach Neil Pavel explains what he experienced around the campfire.
Picture
Picture
What happens when leaders, business owners, senior managers, and people who work for themselves get together around a campfire in a new and natural environment and are asked: “What conversation would you like to have that will make a difference in the world?” ​
I have experience of this twice now after Nigel, who runs School of the Wild, invited me to attend a couple of the Leading with Purpose campfire catalyst sessions that he facilitates.

For a few hours, myself and the other people in these groups shared our stories, ideas and insights into leadership and responsibility, and about culture and the future.

Being outside has an immediate impact.

I notice how we all think and behave more-than-slightly differently. There’s an openness to the conversations, less boundaries, and lots of trust.


Having the time and space to reflect on leadership and impact with a bunch of complete strangers allows a wide range of subjects, voices, and opinions to be heard and mulled over.

Being outside has an immediate impact. I notice we all think and behave more-than-slightly differently. There’s an openness to the conversations, less boundaries and lots of trust. 

Read More

Conversations that matter on a team away day

13/4/2019

 
Picture
Conversations that matter: culture, impact, legacy. And fireside rapping. Space Doctors team away day in the woods. 

The woods are where we do our best work

11/4/2019

 
Picture
Mark and Rosie, key members of the School of the Wild team, get the woods ready before the client arrives.
#teamawayday #schoolofthewild #natureisouroffice

Team Building Away Day for NCD Alliance

5/12/2018

 
Picture
Well that was a good day. Fab team session with a great group from all over the world.
​Thanks Guys.

How does your team come together on new projects?

28/7/2018

 
Picture
Staff from Matchbox Mobile show how it's done, aceing the team fire lighting challenge, one task at a time. 

The Matchbox Mobile crew show off the knives they whittled in the woods

25/7/2018

 
Picture
. #schoolofthewild #teambuilding #awaydays

How a Change of Scene Changes Your Team's Conversation

17/5/2018

 
How fresh air can lead to fresh thinking and why that's important if you're to reframe your ideas about today's challenges.
Picture

The Importance of Face-to-Face Communication in Business

Dialogue and conversation are integral to every business. Despite the wave of new apps and technologies that offer better business processes at a click of a button, a fundamental element to any successful business is still face-to-face communication.

Innovation, strategy, creation, and implementation are all human-centred processes that rely on people talking to each other.  

As Steve Jobs said, “There’s a temptation in our networked age to think that ideas can be developed by email and iChat. That’s crazy. Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions.”

And with flexible hours, the increase in time spent in front of screens, and the demands of city life, it's never been more important to get teams communicating and working at their best. 

With workplace relationships being so very important, more and more organisations are becoming increasingly conscious of the importance of team dynamics, and are taking steps to improve company culture to create the conditions for better conversations.

Read More

Why Outdoor Team Building Boosts Company Culture and Business Success

28/4/2018

 
Spending time in nature with your team is a powerful way to boost your workplace culture and employee wellbeing, and has a dramatic effect on creative thinking and team cohesion, says Liz Naven
Take your team outdoors for business success
In the past few years, culture change and workplace wellbeing have become staples of the modern office. Prompted by research demonstrating the inextricable link between employee happiness and productivity, organisations are placing serious attention on initiatives to improve employees’ experience at work, inspired by forward-thinking companies such as Google and Zappos.

​Although your company may not have a budget as large as these tech giants, chances are you're looking to replicate the same positive company culture with practical alternatives that make work a positive experience for all, with a consequent impact on your bottom line.

Leadership and team development programmes, combined with flexible working hours, on-site massage and fitness classes, and duvet days are just some of the perks you might already be offering in a bid to increase employee happiness, engagement, and productivity.

The results are usually worth the effort: organisations who get culture right, combined with properly-designed wellness programmes enjoy large financial returns, amongst other competitive advantages. For example, according to research from Harvard Business Review, Johnson & Johnson's wellness programs cumulatively saved the company $250 million on health care costs, with a return of $2.71 for every $2 spent, between 2002 to 2008.

Yet are you overlooking the most effective activity to transform culture and wellbeing? To create a positive workforce full of high-performing employees, you may just need to send your team outdoors.

​Being outdoors in nature has a dramatic range of benefits, for both physical and mental health. Time spent outdoors boosts mood and energy, improves attention and encourages connection and community.

If your business aims to put culture first, wants to prioritise the wellbeing of your employees, and improve workplace productivity, getting your teams to spend time in nature as part of their working life can be a vital piece of the process.

6 reasons why outdoors team building is good for business:


Read More

Take Your Team on an Away Day in Nature. You'll love the results.

23/4/2018

 
Been given the task of arranging a team away day and wondering where to start?
Team Away Day in Nature
Our outdoor team away days in the wild are the perfect way to bring people together.

An away day outdoors in nature has lots of benefits - including dramatic impacts on creative and innovative thinking, and decision making. Plus time in nature is a great leveller and breaks down personal barriers, making it much easier to connect with each other.

We cater for groups of various sizes from 6 to 50 people, in the Brighton and Sussex countryside, and in London. We'll help you arrange your team away day with ideas that suit your specific needs.

From a foraging walkshop to a creative campfire, we listen to what you want, share ideas and put our planning expertise into practice. You get an away day tailored to achieve your desired outcome.

There are plenty of options to explore, from facilitated conversations to bonding exercises. We have covered spaces in case of bad weather and all our team away days are designed with one purpose in mind - to keep your team effective and energised.

So leave everything to us, you can just relax and enjoy the experience.
​

Read More

Being open in the open. Inspiring campfire conversation with Brighton business leaders and mentors

19/4/2018

 
Picture
Business leaders, mentors and entrepreneurs getting to know each other better around the fire at a Creative Campfire. Nature helps to breakdown personal barriers and makes it easier to connect.

Whittling, headspace and conversation round the fire

1/9/2017

 
Picture
Look what the guys made. Whittling, headspace and conversation round the fire with a group of digital business leaders, convened by Jonathan Markwell and facilitated by Steve Stark of Then Somehow. Rosie Linford taught us the cuts.

Pictures from a Foraging Away Day Walk for the Journeys by Design Team

23/6/2017

 
Journeys by Design asked us to run a foraging walk around Firle for their team after their annual company meeting.

Foragers and hedge witches Jane and Lucy took the team along the lanes and fields from the Ram and into Firle Place, showing them a variety of edible wild plants, alongside tastes of deliciously refreshing elderflower cordial, and relaxing lime blossom tea.

A fun foragers quiz to finish.
    Nigel Berman, School of the Wild

    Author & Curator

    Nigel Berman is the founder of School of the Wild.

    Blog HOme

    Categories

    All
    Away Days
    Campfire Conversations
    Case Study
    Leadership
    Networking
    Organisations In Nature
    Purpose
    Talk
    Team Building In Nature
    Teams
    Video

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    December 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    March 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015

    RSS Feed

Organisations

  • ​​Team Building​​
  • Company Offsite
  • Away Days
  • Walk and Talk
  • ​Why Nature
  • Guest Speaker

Leaders

  • Leadership​ Development
  • ​Threshold 
  • Free Guide for Leaders

About Us

  • ​Our Story
  • Blog​​​
  • Our Team​
  • Our ​Locations:
    ​
    - Team Building in London
    - Team Building in Brighton
  • ​Sustainability

Support

  • Contact Us​​
  • ​What's included
  • FAQs​
  • Privacy​​
We offset our carbon footprint via Ecologi
Picture
The movement for
​Regenerative business
Picture
Picture
Picture
Free Guide for Hybrid Teams

FREE GUIDE FOR HYBRID TEAMS

Get your FREE guide: How to do hybrid well in today's  workplace.
DOWNLOAD FREE GUIDE
School of the Wild
​c/o 26 Seafield Road,
Hove BN3 2TP
Tel: 07764 404992
​email: [email protected]
© COPYRIGHT 2015-2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Photo from gilgit2
  • Home
  • About
  • For Teams
    • Seed: One day team building
    • Shift: Two+ day company offsite
    • Outdoor Team Building in London
    • Outdoor Team Building in Brighton
  • For Leaders
    • Transform: Leadership Team Development
    • Threshold: for leaders at a crossroads
  • Case Studies
  • Insight
  • Contact