I really hate "team building" exercises at work...

[TXHokie]

I enjoyed our team building week as we’re a small team WFH across the US. It’s just another work week but we would travel somewhere and worked in the same room instead of spread out across the country on chat and videos. Last year everyone flew in to a hotel at the beach and we had unlimited meal/drinks at the hotel restaurant. Had our team meeting in the pool and ended the day with a sunset cruise.
Though the best one I had at another company was paintball. The managers got taken out first and then the fun begins.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

If you folks haven't seen the Amazon series Patriot yet, you should. I love how the main character deals with her covert workplace environment.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Getting old and crotchety, whenever they start with the family crap I tell them that family are the people I eat supper with on Thanksgiving.

Shh ... you're giving them ideas for corporate Thanksgiving dinners.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

If you work for the mafia or triad it is the real sense :awe:


Is indy still stuck in the same teambuilding exercise from 2010?

Eight years and a couple of employers later (greatly increasing my salary), I can confidently say that team building is a waste of time. My current employer is making our team have group activities AND our department have quarterly activities. Participation is also a component of your review. It’s like I told a coworker - if they have these social activities during business hours, I’ll (unhappily) go. If they’re outside of work hours, I won’t show up and they’ll just have to take the risk of dinging me on my review.

Another interesting thing that happened to me was something I said to Daverino came true - in a post earlier in this thread, I mentioned how great employees who tire of the corporate BS leave, become consultants to focus on (his words) their “singular task,” and make a ton more money than the low-level manager position they “should be” aspiring to. I ended up leaving the 2010 gig when I got 3 job offers and ended up with a consulting job with a 70% raise, making a ton more money than the DIRECTORS at my previous gig.

 

[purbeast0]

I enjoyed our team building week as we’re a small team WFH across the US. It’s just another work week but we would travel somewhere and worked in the same room instead of spread out across the country on chat and videos. Last year everyone flew in to a hotel at the beach and we had unlimited meal/drinks at the hotel restaurant. Had our team meeting in the pool and ended the day with a sunset cruise.
Though the best one I had at another company was paintball. The managers got taken out first and then the fun begins.

You all looking for developers?

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

lmao, we did a bunch of "fun" activities that were supposed to facilitate team building. They were done by some professional company that specialized in team building exercises for companies. I can only recall a few of the events we participated in, but I do recall most of all, how flustered I had the leader person. I took on a leadership role with my team, and we cheated on every single exercise. My team was the envy of all the other teams who saw those particular "games" as a complete waste of time.

One event - we had to stand in a circle with a balloon. While waiting for instructions, I anticipated that we were (think about this for a second... a bunch of people in a group, and a blown up balloon) going to have to hit the balloon around between us. I took the balloon, and just kept rubbing it on my hair. The leader person explained that we had to hit the balloon and not let it touch the floor. 1 hit later, and the balloon was stuck to the ceiling. We stood around. Leader became slightly flustered and said that it was cheating. "New rule everyone! You can't stick your balloon to the ceiling."

So, we started hitting the balloon back and forth. Within about 3 hits, I walked away from the group, returned with a glass of water from one of the tables and placed it on the floor in the middle of our circle. It only took about 5 seconds for us to hit the balloon into the cup. Leader person was not amused.

Ironically, *I* did more than leader person that day in terms of team building. My group became far more unified because of our collective rebellion against playing very childish games. (And because we were obviously raising team leader's blood pressure.).

Sounded like you were using team building to come up with the best ways to solve problems. If anything you should have told the instructors that their ideas suck and they are horrible at team coordination.

Yes, I know this is a necro.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Shoot me now - the new "social event" is an Iron Chef competition.....

 

[sdifox]

Shoot me now - the new "social event" is an Iron Chef competition.....

Chop off team lead's pinky for extra point.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Chop off team lead's pinky for extra point.

Already declined.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

You should try new hire training at an accounting firm, something tells me you would love this

https://streamable.com/h6do7


Challenge: Watch this without cringing. Bet you can't

 

[Chaotic42]

You should try new hire training at an accounting firm, something tells me you would love this

https://streamable.com/h6do7


Challenge: Watch this without cringing. Bet you can't

Cardinals fans? PWC in St Louis. This doesn't surprise me. This is what people are like here.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Cardinals fans? PWC in St Louis. This doesn't surprise me. This is what people are like here.

I'm glad of all the firms I'm not with PWC after watching that one....

The firms are all over the US though, every major city - even small ones in some cases.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Just talking to someone else about team building and remembered this thread - wow, certain people (aka Daverino) sure were wrong. Bwahahahahahaha!

 

[brianmanahan]

Just talking to someone else about team building and remembered this thread - wow, certain people (aka Daverino) sure were wrong. Bwahahahahahaha!

i'm glad that team-building exercises have gone the way of the dodo over the past decade

 

[IndyColtsFan]

i'm glad that team-building exercises have gone the way of the dodo over the past decade

I’m sure bored HR-types will insist on them again once most people return to offices.

 

[IronWing]

I’m sure bored HR-types will insist on them again once most people return to offices.

Covey training is making a comeback. Any manager suggesting it should be terminated and then fired.

 

[NutBucket]

Team Building...going out for lunch with beer involved. Done and done. Sometimes being in management has it's advantages.

 

[Exterous]

We just did two team building events and the response was pretty positive. First was renting out an arcade, putting everything on free play and getting two different places to cater food for variety. Attendance wasn't required but a lot of people showed up and stayed the whole time.

Second was just a small group of people who met at the bar for food and drinks

 

[Captante]

Team Building...going out for lunch with beer involved. Done and done. Sometimes being in management has it's advantages.

We just did two team building events and the response was pretty positive. First was renting out an arcade, putting everything on free play and getting two different places to cater food for variety. Attendance wasn't required but a lot of people showed up and stayed the whole time.


Second was just a small group of people who met at the bar for food and drinks

THAT kind of "team-building" is perfectly fine!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

We just did two team building events and the response was pretty positive. First was renting out an arcade, putting everything on free play and getting two different places to cater food for variety. Attendance wasn't required but a lot of people showed up and stayed the whole time.

Second was just a small group of people who met at the bar for food and drinks

See, those are great. Put me in an arcade and the ICF of 1981 will magically appear!

I'm seeing more and more of these kinds of things in companies. The contrived BS activities (like "close your eyes and fall backwards and your team will catch you") seem to be (thankfully) a relic. The one company I worked for - and you ALL know this sports organization - was a master of the contrived BS "team building" activities. When I left, I met with the CFO or my exit interview and I went out of my way to mention that. In her defense, the organization team building guidelines were even more ridiculous but she refused to have us do them - like singing songs as a team.

If we weren't spread out all over the country, I'd have zero issue meeting my team at an arcade and kicking their asses at Donkey Kong.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

I hate teams, exercise and work, so .....

 

[snoopy7548]

I hate teams, exercise and work, so .....

You're a Professional ATOT Poster?

 

[Fritzo]

My company is like a frat house, so I really enjoy team building stuff. Last time we did axe throwing and it was an absolute blast! We got two tickets for craft beers, T-shirts, and I found a new sport that's a lot more fun than bowling

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Last time we did axe throwing ...

Were you catching?

 

[Fritzo]

Were you catching?

Haha...you only make that mistake once...