How to split a work away-day into teams
Last updated 9 October 2026
Teams that mix departments, so people meet colleagues they don’t usually work with.
What you are really trying to do
The point of an away-day team is usually to get people talking to colleagues they don’t normally work with. So the main job is to spread departments, not to balance skill. Left to choose, people stick with the people they sit next to.
Spread, then balance
- Spread departments. No team should be mostly one department. With a big department, aim for no more than two from it in any team.
- Spread seniority. A team of five directors, or a team of new starters, doesn’t mix.
- Keep the few people who must be apart, apart. A manager and their own team, for example, if you want people to speak freely.
- Balance the activity, if there is one. For a quiz or a sports session, add a rough rating as well.
Make it painless on the day
- Send the link a few days before, so people join and answer at their desks rather than in the room.
- Reveal the teams on the screen at the start, all at once. It sets the tone and saves a lot of “which team am I in?”.
- Give each team a name and a colour people can find, rather than “Team 3”.
Doing it with Draftastic
- Start a draft for work, and set how many teams you want.
- Add a choice question for department. Add seniority too, if it matters.
- Share the link. Colleagues join on their phones without an account, and can ask for a reminder by email.
- Choose Deal and describe what you want in words, for example “mix departments, no more than two from Sales in any team, and keep Priya and her team apart”. Draftastic shows each rule it kept.
- Reveal the teams on the big screen. Everyone also sees theirs on their phone, with who else is in it.
Try it
Draftastic is free. You can start a draft without an account, and people join on their phones with a code.