Impervious to the call for ROI, the company picnic is alive and well

HEADNOTE

The time-honored tradition can generate goodwill and boost morale. Firms say they'd rather pay for a picnic than pick up the tab for turnover.

TWICE EACH SUMMER, the employees of Robert Smith & Associates

PR, a public relations agency in Rockton, Illinois, attend an event so important that no one may schedule a doctor's appointment on that day or skip it except in true emergencies. The big occasion is the company picnic, held at a nearby park. "I just bring hot dogs, chips, salad and pop-nothing extravagant," says Robert Smith, the firm's president, who started the tradition three years ago and estimates that each picnic sets him back about $ 1,000. "We play music, dance and have games."

The New Jersey law firm McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, takes its annual barbecue even more seriously. The firm flies in attorneys and their spouses from as far away as Denver for the event, held for the past 17 years at the home of managing partner Edward Deutsch. Last year, 400 people attended the picnic, which included a 22-foot inflatable slide, pony rides, face painters, a Ferris wheel, miniature golf, Volleyball, magicians, clowns, a petting zoo, goody bags for kids and a fully stocked Good Humor ice cream truck. Attorneys staffed the 6-foot grill, and the firm's partners supplied salads and desserts. Price tag: up to $30,000. "It's part of our firm's culture to treat people well, maintain a positive working environment and provide an opportunity for employees to introduce their families to coworkers," Deutsch says. "This is a reward in and of itself. Not everything we do must have a business reason behind it."