Corporate "AWAY DAYS" aaaggghhhh

I also worked in the uni system and used to swerve the "outward bound" type of away days. However I had no objection to the ones where we played business games - often in a city center pub.

I also went to a lot of what were called "staff enrichment" courses on subjects like time management, assertiveness and so on.

There was one where we had a male participant who was like a tannoy. He droned on and on and spoke over people. At an exercise in chairing a committee he kept butting in. So I was controlling the interaction in a business like way by saying things like:

"Excuse me Derek I would like to hear what Anne was saying. Please continue Anne."

At the end of the day the facilitator accused me of being bossy with some of the attendees. I at once countered and accused him of sex discrimination, I added that if he did not retract the accusation I intended to make a formal complaint. Two other women immediately announced that they would support a complaint as "some colleagues" had been rather aggressive and they felt I had dealt with this in an assertive and professional manner. The facilitator aiimediately backed down.

Wizend
Must say I’m appalled to hear of the invariably cash-strapped NHS wasting money like that

As an ex NHS employee I must tell you that you would be horrified at the amount of money wasted on such ridiculous activities, let alone one in other areas. I had an extreme busy and stressful job and my team and I worked our pants off and very day just to keep on top of our workload so you can imagine our response when we had to drop everything and attend a drumming workshop!!
Back in the mid seventies I worked for a large private organisation and money was no object in those days. I was once asked to attend a team building workshop with managers from other teams. As part of the course we were asked to write and perform a short play on a given topic, why? We were to rehearse it in the evening and perform it the next day. The winning play would receive a prize.My group decided that we would show off and perform our play on video to show the next day. I was to play Margaret Thatcher for some reason! While doing this we were aided by the copious amount of free alcohol provided so we thought our play was absolutely hilarious and was sure to win.
The next day we sat in anticipation to show our masterpiece only to find ourselves watching a bunch of glassy eyes inebriated idiots, talking rubbish and making absolute idiots, of ourselves. No we didn’t win the prize. If my manager received any feedback I wasn’t given it thank goodness but that particular course was never run again!

OMG I am late to this party but me too the awfulness and the sheer waste of the time and money requiring me to go on NHS mandatory training and awaydays.

I went on a number of these. I can remember one, when, after a reorganisation a senior manager decided that it would be good to have a 2 day stay in a hotel to enable him to get to know his department heads and for them to get to know each other. We were a 'sweep-up' department called 'Marketing Service' which include IT, Market Research (me) and other odds and sods, none of us ever worked together on anything.

I can remember 2 days of utter boredom while we played games and did things that helped us get to know each other and work well together.

All I remember is coming back from the course thinking that if I ever saw any of the other people in the street. I would duck behind a car to avoid having to speak to them and if I saw them in the canteen I would sit as far from them as possible.

I am sure that each was a delightful person, and they probably felt the same about me. But a team building exercise this was not, on the contrary

Many years ago in a previous job role the senior management organised a team building event for themselves and the next lower management tier in the staff structure - this was interdepartmental, ie finance, HR, litigation etc. Our line manager was included in this.

After the event, which was held over a long weekend during a very busy time for our department, our line manager shared details of the spa resort in a fabulous hotel set in glorious surroundings. She told us all about the indoor pool, fitness suite, massage therapy facilities, all of which were available to use free gratis after the team building exercises involving archery, clay pigeon shooting, a murder mystery challenge and lots more.

This all didn’t sit well with the rest of our team…….there was five of us who worked through that weekend picking up the slack as it was out busiest time of the month for us and we didn’t even get paid overtime - just single time off in lieu. But our line manager was lovely and although we didn’t criticise her for being involved we did point out that we found it rather unfair and why couldn’t the rest of the team have something similar.

She listened to our comments and being in agreement with all what we had said took our concerns forward to see what could be done. A few weeks later we all received information that a team building event had been organised for our department. Excitement soon turned to disappointment when we discovered that we would be attending a one day event at a local hotel popular for corporate facilities etc. We spent the day doing “customer service “ role play exercises …….. lunch was a cheap cold buffet.

Reported

The equivalent for academic staff are "conferences" - sometimes of the international variety where male professors come knocking on your door. Ive stayed solo in hotels in countries like Iran and Morocco where male staff come knock your door at odd hours. Since they are equipped with pass keys (or pass cards nowadays) an essential bit of kit for solo female travellers is a door wedge! And make sure you unplug your phone!

I always enjoyed corporate away days. Especially the ones where you stay overnight and got fed lovely food. Team games involving physical activity, I either opted out of or made sure I was knocked/timed/run out and could just go and sit down somewhere. It was time out of the office and chance to meet new folk. What's not to love?

I worked in a school which always used 2 of its 'inset days' on a Thursday and Friday for a residential course. This included team building but also various training sessions some of which were quite useful.

Attendance for the daytime was compulsory but the overnight was optional as many staff had children and those who were single parents needed to go home for the night. I always stayed over as my ex was home with my teenage kids, except on one occasion when he took my son away and my daughter (16 at the time) was home alone with me having to leave the hotel to get phone signal to check she was ok!

It was a very costly exercise for the school though I found that the fun activities at the evening of the overnight were great for staff bonding and I'm glad I went, though I usually had an early night to avoid any drunken shenanigans which one year involved someone losing his job after inappropriate behaviour towards a female teacher who left the school shortly afterwards. We never found out what happened but those who were still up late were questioned by police so it must have been serious!

I was surprised that the event took place the next year, but it did, though that was my last as I got a new job and handed in my notice the week after.

Whether the expense was justified is questionable as the activities could have been carried out in the school and could even have included a social evening without the cost of staying in a hotel.

Never been to an activity where they had quad bikes, climbing or anything sporty. I would have run a mile. Or arranged to fall and "sprain" my ankle in work like the colleague I cited upthread.

I went with DBF to one about 20 years ago, it was an outdoors day, fine for me at that time, we went canoeing, absailing, played archery etc. Had a great time, but, DBF had done his homework and we knew what to expect.
Some of the corporate wives obviously had not communicated with their husbands. They were dressed to the nines including high heels absailing, still makes me smile.
Some young women even ended up in the river and had no change of clothes, we ended up sitting on the coach waiting for one director and his wife for an hour as she had got lost on the river !!!!!!!!! She had tried to go backwards upriver when she saw the rapids.
Happy memories, funnily enough they did not repeat the event, we were dissapointed .

Jaxjacky

Corporate team building, renovating a nursery garden (blagging materials from local shops). Hotel weekends negotiating outdoor challenges in the dark, ‘trusting’ colleagues whilst blindfold, design targets with loo rolls, string and paper clips. Supposed to sort out leaders for management roles, Belbin’s team roles much in evidence.
Yes, I remember them, predatory males (lock your bedroom door), lots of alcohol, laughs and for some mega embarrassment. Makes me shudder now.

Any sort of away stay at work business or not was a massive green light for most of the male employees to try and blag their way into the girls'kex! Disgusting. Although every single place I worked when girls went out for drinks I used to start a game called: "in the building at night , which male staff would you trust, and which wouldn't you trust?" Everyone always loved that one! And you know? Females' Instinct is very much alive and kicking ,every single dodgy male was identified by most if not ALL women in every company!!! And we all recognised those real gentlemen, of ALL ages too.Us more experienced often gave the less mature/experienced gals the inside track on what to look for in dodgy maleness!

#MALE STAFF freakin edit tools???

The full face makeup did actually apply to make staff too, in retribution for the bra themes that were thought up by the MALE sniggering schoolboy type directors!

World at one company for 8months who had Fridays set aside for special treatment. There was:wunderbra day (didn't possessions and had no intention of wearing bra over my clothes!)/Chinese Friday(all had to spend ridiculous amount on Chinese takeaway food,I refused as it was a waste of money)/ dress up Friday( that's fancy dress, all expected o hire expensive costumes from director's wife's hire shop, again I refused and went as a serial killer, wore head to toe black as usual but with cornflake earrings)/ then we had bad taste day(supposed to wear mismatched clothing?! Most of the idiots there couldn't throw an outfit together anyway , do I didn't see any change there!) All in all pathetically childish ideas supposed to ' bond' staff and management! As a 'manager' I had my turns to decide my Friday theme, so I chose 'wear your poshest outfit with full face makeup 'and another one was come dressed as if you intend to actually do some bloody work! Hated the place .left.

Not a team building day but one of those loooong meetings were someone blathers on about "risk assessment". Its an office based envronment FFS not a building site! It was a uni and one of those EU funded projects.

I told the manager that it "sounded like a load of bollocks". She looked horrified. "Thats not a very nice thing to say Biglouis!"

"Well judging by the amout of eye rolling, staring at the cieling and people slumped in chairs Im not the only one who thinks so. Hands up anyone else who thinks this is a load of bollocks!"

Half the people at the table raised their hands.

I enjoyed them. The only one that I was going to try to get out of was one at a local water sports park. The plan was everyone donning wet suits and doing various water sports. No thought had bend given yo disabilities nor anyone who may feel uncomfortable parading about in tight wet suits in front if co-workers. Thankfully, the complaints were taken on board and this particular event did not go ahead.

Otherwise, in the 17 years there, we had some good, fun days out.

I was the one tasked in coming up with a team building exercise and organising it. Nothing energetic, outdoors or iin water. I soon learnt that it was just an excuse for a booze up, fun and an overnight, so we had some ones, a casino night on board a boat on THe Thames and a murder mystery night were two of the ones I remember most.

MissA ….oh you DO make me larfff… ???????

Crisps?

Never had a whole weekend but as a former primary teacher have had to endure some totally toe curling team building sessions. I can recall about 300 of us crammed into my local town hall, building towers with cocktail sticks and marshmallows. When I told my day, a retired tradesman, he nearly had a fit. What a waste of time and money. Another time I was in a post I hated. I had two small children and at the end of a long, very stressful day in class all I wanted to do was go home and be with my family. However my boss decided going canoeing after work (in Scotland in the autumn) was a good team building activity. I went but said I wasn't getting in a canoe for anyone! Another time I was in a group of about 25 teachers skipping round a school hall, pretending to be different varieties of crisps (and it was on a Saturday!) The whole corporate away day used to fill me with dread.

Well that's the best offer I've had for a long time!
Sounds like fun.

MissAdventure

At one time the first aid courses used to include the "casualty" having a colleague poking their stomach and groin area.
I refused to allow that, as well.
It made people really cross!

You can poke my tummy if you like, it might release some annoying trapped wind

Oh yes, the first aid course with the slightly smelly dummy that you had to give mouth to mouth to!

At one time the first aid courses used to include the "casualty" having a colleague poking their stomach and groin area.
I refused to allow that, as well.
It made people really cross!