Staff Development at Shiraz Republic

Bus booked. Check!

Food organised. Check!

Playlist ready. Check!

Staff on board. Check!

Everyone was ready for their first post COVID GCA Staff Development Day. Including one extremely excited “Jack Russell” who always loves spending time with the team.

With the Managing Director Gerard Coutts at the wheel, the GCA staff were transported out of Melbourne to the picturesque Victorian township of Heathcote. The destination? A winery nestled in the hills just outside of the town, called “Shiraz Republic”. The task? To pick a row of grapes and then take them through several processes to turn them into our own GCA signature bottles of “Portia’s Potion, 2023 vintage.”

The team threw themselves into the tasks at hand. From snipping the grapes off the vines, filling multiple buckets, and then emptying them into the separation machine turned by hand, to rolling up pants and stepping barefoot into barrels to stomp the grapes. A great experience was had by all with lots of laughter along the way.

It demonstrates that staff development days don’t always need to be filled with external consultants, group exercises and questionnaires. It can be as simple as an activity that brings your staff together where they contribute and work as a team to produce an outcome which is both satisfying and constructive.

It is about no entitlements, getting your hands dirty to reap the rewards.