"Retreat. Reveal. Retain".

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to suggest that leaders use staff retreats as a time for budget and planning, more than as a time for working on the prototypical subjects of group cohesion, personality pairing/profiling and teamwork exercises. Design/methodology/approach – Analysis from the perspective of staff retention frames the explanation of staff retreats used primarily as budget exercises, to educate and spark informed debate leading to increased employee satisfaction. Findings – Open and honest budgetary disclosure is the fundamental desire of employees concerned about macroeconomic issues affecting organizations going forward. Placing these matters first during staff retreats will create the desired group cohesion and retention effects sought through embarking on staff retreat activities. Originality/value – Staff retreats are very popular, and literature on this topic is plentiful. Positive retention outcomes attained from staff retreats because of a focus on a shared understanding of budget and planning is not, however, a popular idea. This paper suggests that the common retreat goal of group cohesion can be a direct product derived from carefully planned and explained budget disclosure, instead of crafty psychological and team exercises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]