You've found an event you think your team would love. Now you need to convince someone to pay for it. Here's how to make the case without it sounding like "please can we have a fun day out."
Frame it around business problems
"Team morale is low" is vague. "We've had three people leave in six months and exit interviews mentioned lack of team connection" is specific.
"Communication could be better" is weak. "The product team and engineering are siloed and it's causing delays" is something a manager can act on.
Start with the problem. Then position team building as part of the solution.
Talk about what they care about
Your boss probably isn't opposed to the team having a good time. They're worried about justifying the cost, the time away from work, and whether it'll make any difference.
Address those concerns directly.
Cost: Break it down per head. Compare it to the cost of replacing a single employee (recruitment fees, training time, lost productivity). Suddenly £50-100 per person looks cheap.
Time: A half-day event is 4 hours. If it improves how the team works together for the next 6 months, that's a good trade.
Impact: Be realistic. One event won't fix a toxic culture. But it can build relationships, create shared memories, and give people a reason to like working together. It becomes the foundation for your future culture work.
Handle the objections before they come up
"We don't have budget" - Can it come from L&D? Social budget? The Christmas party fund? Offer alternatives.
"Now isn't a good time" - When would be? Get a commitment to revisit. Or propose a smaller pilot event.
"People won't want to do it" - Have you asked them? A quick poll might show more enthusiasm than expected.
"We tried team building before and it was rubbish" - What specifically didn't work? And how is this different?
Make it easy to say yes
Don't ask your boss to do research. Present options. "I've found three activities that would work for our team, here's what each costs and when they're available."
Offer to handle the logistics. "If you approve the budget, I'll coordinate with the provider and send calendar invites."
The less work it creates for them, the more likely they'll approve it. If it's not part of your day to day job description, make sure you assure them that the company you're working with will handle 99% of the work so it won't impact your day-to-day!
If you need help making the case
We can send you a proper proposal document with pricing, timings, and what's included. Something you can forward to whoever holds the budget.
Get in touch and tell us what you're thinking. We'll help you build the case.