About the Author

Antimo Cimino, is the founder of the experiential travel company VoomaGo. Born and raised in Puglia, Italy, he came to Portland, OR to study international business over two decades ago. After completing an MA in Intercultural Relations, he spent fourteen years working in leadership development as a project manager planning and managing the implementations of programs for C-Suit and Front Line managers at top Fortune 500 global companies. A few years ago, with a good dose of audacity and a huge leap toward his dreams, he combined his passions for leadership development, intercultural relations, wellness and travel, and launched VoomaGo, This unique company lets sojourners experience the culture of Italy from the inside, in authentic ways, getting involved in a variety of enriching and transformative experiences.

Are you looking for an innovative way to improve mood, motivation, and engagement with your key high-potential leaders?

Recent research conducted by Fortune.com shows that HR departments in many fortune 500 companies are focused on employees’ engagement and retention, by collecting data about employees’ daily moods through the use of emojis. The latest research on the same subject from Microsoft Workplace Analytics and Gallup shows that surveys alone will not improve mood, motivation, or engagement. Paying too much attention to surveys and data, isn’t enough, more action oriented strategies need to be considered.

While productivity and profits are still the most significant drivers of a business and rank high on stakeholders’ lists, allowing employees to unplug from their highly demanding jobs to rejuvenate has become essential. Work-life balance seems to have given way to an always-on lifestyle, which is unsustainable, and will lead to burnout and negative impacts on not just employees’ health but their lives as a whole.

The study conducted by Gallup on the state of the American workplace, shows that leaders need to be more interested in the lives and welfare of their employees and show support by modeling the desired behavior and change. Action planning efforts to improve employees’ engagement and retention that go beyond promotions and raises will affect a company culture and climate as well as continue positive momentum.

 Companies are taking a fresh look at the importance of work-life balance. Many HR leaders understand that possible short-term gains from overproduction won’t help the business achieve long-term goals without considering the well-being of their human capital. The pace of corporate America is so intense and demanding that it is essential to re-consider the value of slowing down to rejuvenate. Leadership development authority, Jim Loehr states that “Full engagement requires cultivating a dynamic balance between the expenditure of energy and the renewal of energy.” This much-needed change in the workplace will create healthy and sustainable practices within organizations to maximize long-term productivity and innovation within a workforce.

What if your strategy to move the business forward could combine and address reward, connections, engagement and personal renewal?

Especially for top and high potential achievers, many companies already look at ways to provide commensurate, top-tier professional development and some even promote work-life balance. If you demand or expect the very best from people, you need to reward them with transformative, exhilarating experiences that can lead to incredible personal growth and positively affect the bottom line and teams. A rich, authentic and unique travel experience is a very effective way to reward your top talent in a meaningful and unique way. It provides numerous benefits, including reengaged employees, higher productivity, strengthening ties with valuable clients, it gives people permission to unplug, it brings together high performing teams and rewards them, and it expresses gratitude to generous donors.

Now, what if your top talent capacity to be fully engaged depended on their ability to unplug?

Here are 5 reasons why reward/incentive travel trips will benefit your business and fuel engagement.

1. Amplify Gratitude. Gratitude is a vital element that improves and strengthens relationships overall. According to Psychology Today, gratitude is the common denominator of happiness; it creates job satisfaction and a cohesive, sensitive, and happy workplace. It sends a meaningful message about people’s contribution. 

2. Model the Right Behaviors. Verbally recognizing that unplugging is necessary to bring yourself anew to your job responsibilities sends an important message to employees. Taking action by modeling and validating such a need, however, creates tangible results. Effective leaders unplug in meaningful ways to rejuvenate and encourage their direct reports to do the same; they slow down to speed up!             

3. Fuel Engagement. Imagine an engaged workforce buzzing with happiness and what that can do to the mission and vision of your organization. Rewarding employees manifests kindness which in turn leads to reciprocity. An enriching travel experience abroad supports ongoing learning, gives people an edge when solving problems, fuels creativity, and creates engagement. Being at work is not enough, how you “show up” matters a lot more.

4. Elevate Talent Retention. Acquiring top talent in the organization is pivotal; however, it is even more important to retain those people. Discovering ways to foster employee’s commitment to your organization should not be underestimated. 

5. Create Connection. Think strategically and allow top talent that doesn’t normally work together to spend time in with each other. Give them a basic framework that can lead to innovation and new possibilities. Travel and new cultural encounters fuel curiosity which in turns enrich people’s lives, increases business acumen, and makes them better at building relationships.

Imagine sending your top performing talent on a trip to another country where they will have an opportunity to unplug, immerse themselves in a new culture, and bond with each other; imagine staying in ancient places that make you ponder about civilization and history; imagine the rich and intricate stories they will build together and how meaningful a reward it will be; imagine relishing the local cuisine after you have prepared a meal with locals, tantalizing your senses at every encounter, bite, conversation and sight. 

“The decision to join Antimo on a trip to Italy involved a bit of uncertainty and anxiety about unplugging from my job. Those fears were unfounded. I came back renewed, relaxed, inspired and with a new energy fed by a broader perspective. I have not felt this good in years.” Kirk, F., Area Manager, Evergreen Home Loans.

Now imagine sending top talent to a carefully curated trip that can integrate business missions with team and organization goals, thereby connecting the reward to the bottom line or another desired outcomes. Then imagine how much richer and meaningful their contribution will be once they return from such an enriching and transformative experience.

VoomaGo’s unrivaled reputation and history of success in experiential travel when applied to your company’s top talent will assure continually expanding talent that performs at their highest potential.

The VoomaGo Incentive Program: This is What We Do and How It Works.