A flock of crows dive-bombed a Vancouver woman eight times as she ran screaming down the street, landing on her head between attacks. In Los Angeles, a homeowner watched crows slam their beaks against his glass door so hard he feared it would shatter. Neither person had done anything to provoke the birds that day. According to a report in The New York Times, the crows were not confused. They were settling an old score, and crow scores can stay open for a very long time.

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Behind these odd, unsettling encounters lies a piece of science that most people never think about: crows can recognise a human face, remember what that face did to them, and hold on to the grudge for close to two decades. They even teach their chicks to hate the same face. For anyone who has ever startled, trapped, or annoyed a crow, that is not comforting news.

Brains Behind The Beak

Crows are not just noisy backyard birds. They mimic human speech, use tools to solve problems, and recognise individual human faces even in a crowded street. They also gather in groups that look strikingly like funerals when a member of their flock, known as a murder, is killed.

That same intelligence gives crows an unusually long memory for insults. A crow can live for about a dozen years, but a grudge against a specific person can outlive the bird that started it, passed down to chicks and flockmates who never even met the original offender.

When Payback Follows You Home

Gene Carter, a computer specialist in Seattle, found this out the hard way. He once chased away crows that were bothering a robin’s nest and threw a rake into the air to scare them off. What followed was nearly a year of retaliation. The birds waited outside his kitchen, dive-bombed him on his way to his car, and tracked him down every single day at his bus stop.
“They were waiting for me at the bus stop every single day,” he said.He told The New York Times the birds followed him for several blocks on his walk home from the stop, swooping at him the whole way. The harassment ended only after he moved out of the neighbourhood.

Spring Is Attack Season

Most crow attacks are not really personal, experts say. They spike in spring and early summer, when parent crows are guarding nests full of chicks and treat anyone who walks too close as a threat.

But grudges built outside nesting season can last far longer than a single breeding cycle. Dr John Marzluff, a professor who has spent years studying how humans and crows interact, has tracked one grudge for 17 years and counting. In 2006, he trapped seven crows on the University of Washington campus while wearing an ogre mask, then released them. The experience rattled the birds and the flockmates who watched it happen.

To measure how long the memory lasted, Marzluff and his team kept putting on the same ogre mask and walking across campus over the following years. Each time, crows responded with loud, aggressive calls that researchers describe as “scolding.” By around the seventh year of the experiment, roughly half the crows he came across were cawing furiously at the mask, even though most of them had not even been born when the original trapping happened.

How A Bird Remembers A Face

Crows owe this to extremely sharp eyesight, tuned to pick up fine details in shapes, patterns and movement, including the layout of a human face. When a crow has a strong experience with a person, whether being trapped and harassed or being fed and cared for, its brain links that specific face to that specific outcome.

The bird is not learning to fear people in general. It is learning to fear, or trust, one particular face. What makes crows especially difficult to shake off is that this information does not stay with one bird. When a crow reacts to a threatening face, other crows watching nearby pick up on the alarm and store that same face as dangerous, spreading the warning through the whole flock without the newer birds ever having a bad experience themselves.

Experts stress that none of this is malice. It is simply how a crow’s brain is built to keep it and its flock safe: notice a face, remember what it did, and pass the word along. The same memory works in reverse too. Crows also remember people who feed them or leave out clean water, and tend to treat those humans kindly for years afterwards. A handful of unsalted peanuts left out regularly, experts say, may be a cheaper way to stay on a crow’s good side than moving house.

Nicola Grant, chief people officer at UK insurance provider Hiscox, says she’s noticed a broader shift in how people think about their careers.

Increasingly, individuals – particularly earlier in their careers, she says – want to build a breadth of experience faster, rather than follow a single, linear path. They are building a portfolio of skills.

She’s also found there’s a greater willingness among younger employees to move if they feel their development is slowing, or their options are limited.

“Expectations have changed; people want variety, pace and to build skills that will remain relevant,” she says, “It’s about a desire for growth.”

“That ultimately benefits both the individual and the organisation,” she adds.

Lucy Kemp, a strategic brand and communications leader at the IT company La Fosse and an employee experience specialist, agrees.

To her, lily padding is the future of work, not just a trend, as people who follow the tactic try to reach more senior roles and higher pay.

“Younger people have seen that loyalty doesn’t pay off,” says Kemp. “They want to shape their own careers, based on skills they value.

“There’s a different sense of achievement compared to older generations, a completely different experience of work,” she says.

Kemp also points out that learning in the office from peers isn’t occurring as much since the pandemic, with people working from home and AI taking over basic tasks.

Instead, people are looking at skills that will be relevant in five years’ time. And they’ll get them by switching to a project on another team, a switch to another sector, or a job at another company, Kemp says. “People just want to learn something new and have a purpose.”

That’s how Harris-Nelson feels. “I see my career as an ongoing journey rather than a destination,” she says. “I’m always learning and growing.”

Olive Garden is bringing back its fan-favorite “Never Ending Pasta Pass,” the company announced this week.

Consumers can nab one of the 10,000 passes for $100, plus tax, on July 16 at 2 p.m. ET. Passholders are able to receive 13 weeks of unlimited pasta, sauces and protein toppings in addition to the chain’s unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks.

The product debuted in 2014 and was last offered in 2019.

OLIVE GARDEN PLANS NATIONWIDE ROLLOUT OF LIGHTER PORTIONS MENU FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL TESTING

“Bringing it back felt like the right way to recognize the loyalty of so many guests who have kept it top of mind all these years,” said Jaime Bunker, Olive Garden’s senior vice president of marketing.

The promotion will only last until all 10,000 passes are claimed. The Never-Ending Pasta Pass isn’t available for redemption with to-go orders, but its in-restaurant redemptions are unlimited.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
DRI	DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC.	195.74	-0.95	-0.48%

Olive Garden’s corporate parent, Darden Restaurants, in late June forecast full-year profit below Wall Street estimates and reported lower-than-expected fourth-quarter sales, as higher input costs and increased marketing expenses weighed on margins amid persistent inflationary pressures.

The company, which also owns restaurants Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and Chuy’s among others, now expects annual earnings per share from continuing operations between $11.10 and $11.35, below an expectation of $11.40 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.

It expects annual same-restaurant sales to grow 2.5% to 3.5%, the midpoint of which is above analysts’ estimates of 2.81%.

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Darden reported overall sales of $3.72 billion for the fourth quarter ended May 31, missing analysts’ estimate of $3.73 billion.

Its total operating costs and expenses rose 10.7% to $3.20 billion in the fourth quarter from the prior year.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Slack pings can’t replace real face time. That’s why 85 percent of employees say off-sites deepen their connection to company goals 2024 Emburse report.

Budgets are rising, but according to Emburse, remote-first teams now choose smaller hub meet-ups that double as strategy sprints. According to Science of People, companies can earn £1 in the right retreat and earn £4–£6 back in engagement and ideas. Platforms like Team Retreats handle venues and travel so you stay focused on the “why,” not the logistics.

How we ranked each retreat idea

We promised you a top list, not a random grab bag. So before we get to the ideas, here’s the scoring lens we used.

First, we singled out five factors that shape a modern off-site. Creativity grabs attention, but cost flexibility keeps Finance on side. Impact measures how deeply the experience strengthens teamwork. Inclusivity confirms that everyone (remote staff, new parents, introverts) can join the fun. Finally, logistical ease shows how many late-night spreadsheets the planner has to survive.

To keep the process transparent, we assigned weights that mirror real-world decision making:

• Creativity & novelty 20 percent
• Cost flexibility 20 percent
• Team-building impact 25 percent
• Inclusivity & accessibility 15 percent
• Logistical ease 20 percent

Each retreat format scored one to ten in every factor, multiplied by its weight, then rolled into a single number. That number sets the order you’ll see next. Simple. No smoke, no mirrors.

Why bother with this rigor? Because a flashy idea that empties the budget or leaves half the team out is a bad investment. A balanced-score approach lifts ideas that deliver the 4-to-6 × return on spend researchers find in high-engagement teams.

Ready for the countdown? The retreat that tops the leaderboard comes first.

1. All-inclusive resort getaway

Picture the team swapping Slack pings for sea breezes. A resort retreat lifts everyone out of daily routines and into a space built for connection. Meals arrive without expense reports, Wi-Fi reaches the beach cabana, and no one spends the evening hunting for dinner reservations. The setting itself does the heavy lifting, freeing us to focus on strategy in the morning and snorkeling in the afternoon.

Cost control can surprise you. Off-season rates at regional resorts often dip below £200 per person for a two-night stay, especially when we negotiate a corporate bundle that folds in meeting rooms and one group activity. Those savings scale: larger head counts usually trigger bigger per-head discounts, so even a 100-person department can land a four-star venue at three-star pricing.

The team-building upside is real. Shared travel and unplanned conversations over buffet tacos strengthen psychological safety, the top predictor of team effectiveness according to Google’s Project Aristotle summarised by Science of People. Add a simple rule of “no work talk at dinner,” and fresh cross-functional alliances start forming before dessert.

Logistics still matter. We block rooms early, clarify dietary needs with the chef, and leave white space on the agenda so introverts recharge by the pool while extroverts try the zip line. If time is tight, a nearby countryside estate can deliver the same break-from-routine magic without the flights.

For planners short on hours, a specialist like Team Retreats can broker venues, buses, and budget-friendly contracts in a single dashboard. We keep ownership of goals; they handle the paperwork. Everyone wins, especially the team sipping sunset mocktails while the next big idea bubbles up.

2. Outdoor adventure “survival” retreat

Take the team off grid for a weekend and watch the office hierarchy fade faster than a phone signal. Whether we paddle across a calm lake, piece together a makeshift shelter, or follow a compass to base camp, genuine collaboration happens in real wilderness.

Nature does more than offer a pretty backdrop. Regular exposure to green space measurably lowers stress and burnout scores, a point corporate wellness experts highlight when recommending outdoor programs. Add challenge elements such as a low-ropes course or a fire-building contest, and colleagues uncover talents no slide deck could show.

Cost stays lean. Day-trip packages with certified guides often start near £50 per person, while a self-run campout on public land can cost less than Friday pizza. Swap hotel rooms for shared tents or a cosy bunkhouse and the largest spend becomes trail mix.

Safety and inclusivity stay central to the plan. We match activity intensity to fitness levels, hire professionals for technical sections, and always keep a warm cabin or gentle nature walk available. The goal is shared accomplishment, not survival-of-the-fittest bravado. By the time we gather around a campfire, the team has forged a bond that travels smoothly back into Monday projects.

3. Wellness retreat with a “biohacking” twist

Stress appears in every metric that matters: productivity, retention, even customer happiness. A wellness-first retreat tackles that pressure head-on while teaching habits employees keep.

Begin the day with sunrise yoga on a hotel rooftop or a quiet stretch in a converted conference room. Follow with a guided breath-work session where wearables track heart-rate variability in real time. Watching those numbers settle on screen turns mindfulness into a friendly contest and proves the technique works.

Cost scales well. A local instructor and healthy catering cost far less than round-trip flights. If the budget allows, move the experience to a countryside spa and add cold-plunge pools or sound-bath therapy. Either way, you send home employees who slept, stretched, and laughed together instead of grinding through another marathon workshop.

Inclusivity stays high because activities adapt: chair yoga for mobility issues and walking meditations for those who skip the mats. When the team heads home with a new relaxation habit instead of another branded tote, you’ve ticked the real ROI box—lower burnout and higher engagement that lasts beyond the retreat glow.

4. Volunteering & community impact retreat

Few activities bond a group faster than rolling up sleeves for a shared cause. Swap flip charts for paintbrushes and titles vanish; everyone becomes part of the crew refreshing a youth center or planting trees on a reclaimed farm.

Purpose fuels productivity. Oxford researchers found that organised volunteering programmes lift employee well-being and, by extension, on-the-job engagement. Teams leave proud of visible results, such as a repainted classroom or a cleared trail, and that pride converts into fresh energy back at the office.

Budgets benefit too. Most community projects ask only for materials or a modest donation, often under £30 a head. Transportation, packed lunches, and a bit of setup cover the rest. For distributed companies, simultaneous “Day of Service” events let regional pods support local charities, then share stories on a global video call.

Success hinges on fit. We survey employees on causes they value, partner with a vetted nonprofit, and design tasks for every ability level, from heavy lifting to creative mural design. Cap the day with a casual picnic where the beneficiary shares the project’s long-term impact. The applause you hear is not just for them; it is your team realising what they can accomplish together.

5. Hackathon retreat

Nothing sparks camaraderie like a ticking clock and a bold challenge. A hackathon retreat turns creativity into a full-contact sport, pushing cross-functional teams to prototype fresh ideas in a day or two of focused effort.

Leave laptops on, but leave routine at the door. We start with an inspiring brief, such as “invent a feature that delights customers in under 24 hours,” then mix engineers, marketers, and ops pros into small squads. Hierarchy melts when a junior designer’s whiteboard sketch saves hours of coding and the VP handles the midnight snack run.

Costs stay friendly. The venue could be the office re-skinned with beanbags and mood lighting, or a rented makerspace for £20–£50 per person, pizza included. Prizes do not need to be lavish; brag-worthy trophies and a promise to fund the winning idea’s next sprint set hearts racing.

Impact lands on two fronts. First, genuine product seeds emerge; Facebook’s Like button started this way. Second, the shared “we built this together” high lingers long after laptops close. Back at work, teams communicate faster because they already solved a tough puzzle side by side. That is return on investment you can feel.

6. Themed experience or game retreat

Turn teamwork into play and watch barriers fall. Whether we stage a city-wide “Amazing Race” or transform a rented hall into an after-hours escape room, a single storyline draws colleagues into shared problem-solving that feels like recess, not training.

Games accelerate trust. Laughter releases oxytocin, nudging people to share ideas more freely the next morning. Pair mental puzzles with light physical challenges—such as decoding a cipher, launching a paper-airplane relay, and cheering from the sidelines—so every personality type shines. Randomly assigned squads guarantee cross-department mingling without awkward icebreakers.

Budget is yours to steer. A DIY scavenger hunt costs little more than printed clues and a quirky trophy. Prefer turnkey? Specialist facilitators build immersive mysteries for about £40 per participant, props and on-site “game masters” included. Either route costs less than flights and hotel nights.

Logistics come down to pacing. We keep activities varied and rounds short to maintain energy, add rest breaks for conversation, and finish with a debrief on “what strategy won and why.” The insight sticks because the lesson arrived wrapped in adrenaline. By Monday, colleagues greet each other with inside jokes from the “case of the missing CEO,” proof that the connection lasts beyond the scoreboard.

7. Micro-offsites for hybrid teams

When a workforce spans cities and time zones, hauling everyone to one venue can drain both budget and energy. Enter the micro-offsite: shorter, regional meet-ups that happen the same week under a shared theme.

Think of it as a relay race. London, Chicago, and Singapore hubs each spend a Friday on local team-building, maybe a museum scavenger hunt or a volunteer morning. Mid-afternoon, screens pop up and every hub joins a live company-wide finale where highlights, photos, and quick wins fly across continents. People feel part of a single story without crossing oceans.

The math is friendly. Five one-day events of twenty people rarely equal the flight and hotel bill for one mega retreat. Smaller groups also mean venues are easier to book, dietary needs simpler to meet, and introverts less overwhelmed.

Culture benefits multiply with frequency. Instead of one “see-you-next-year” blowout, squads reconnect every quarter, keeping rapport fresh in a hybrid world. In fact, high-performing companies now host an average of 2.8 offsites annually to sustain belonging across remote teams, according to Emburse.

Execution comes down to rhythm. We appoint a local champion in each hub, share a common agenda framework, and leave room for regional flair. A global Slack channel hums throughout the day so teams trade selfies and high-fives in real time. By sunset, we have deepened bonds, honored family commitments, and saved a pile of carbon miles in a single coordinated sprint.

8. Family-inclusive retreat day

Sometimes the best way to deepen team bonds is to invite the people who cheer us on from home. A family day turns the retreat into a mini festival where kids chase bubbles, partners meet the faces behind email signatures, and colleagues discover they both own Labradors named Luna.

The payoff is practical and emotional. Parents skip the scramble for childcare, younger staff avoid travel-cost dread, and everyone sees one another as three-dimensional humans. That empathy follows us back to work; it is tougher to snap in email at the dad whose toddler just painted your face with glitter.

Budgets sit in the middle lane. A park permit, barbecue catering, and a few bounce houses usually land between £30 and £60 per guest. Layer in simple games such as egg-and-spoon races or a pets’ talent parade, and entertainment takes care of itself. For companies already running a larger off-site, make family day the finale so locals join easily while travellers extend their stay.

Planning hinges on inclusivity. We offer activities for all ages, set up shade and quiet corners, and keep menus allergy-aware. A quick welcome circle lets employees introduce their crew: “This is Maya, the real CEO of my evenings.” Laughter breaks, barriers fall, and the wider support network feels seen and appreciated.

The long-term effect is loyalty that sticks. When families feel the company values them, employees stay invested too. That sense of shared village may be the most sustainable perk we can offer.

At-a-glance comparison

We covered a lot of ground, so here is a quick dashboard you can skim before pitching options to your leadership team. The scores reflect the weighted criteria we shared earlier; £ symbols show the relative spend for a basic two-day version of each idea.

Retreat idea	Creativity	Budget	Impact	Inclusivity	Logistics
All-inclusive resort	7/10	£££	9/10	7/10	6/10
Outdoor adventure	9/10	££	9/10	7/10	6/10
Wellness & biohacking	8/10	£	8/10	9/10	8/10
Volunteering impact	8/10	£	9/10	9/10	8/10
Hackathon	9/10	£	9/10	7/10	7/10
Themed game retreat	9/10	££	8/10	9/10	7/10
Micro-offsites	9/10	£	7/10	10/10	7/10
Family-inclusive day	8/10	££	7/10	10/10	7/10

Conclusion

Treat these numbers as conversation starters, not commandments. Your perfect choice depends on goals, head count, and appetite for adventure. One trend is clear: meaningful bonding does not need a massive budget.