Work Coffee Afternoon

[Macey78]

Need some help with ideas. At work we have a coffee afternoon once a month. It's 2 hours managers provide drinks and snacks and we can put forward team building suggestions.

What we have done so far
Quiz
Bring and share afternoon tea
Exercise session

Can you help me with any other suggestions

Recently on one of these events, we were divided into teams and had to solve clues to get the combination of a safe that we had to open. Kind of like an escape room type game.

Another time we had description of a Lego model and each team had to build their own model with the Lego from just the description

Bingo !

Bingo

See, I can’t bear to be touched on my head, so I would hate this

Lol @ “tidy the stationery cupboard “!

I loved a barn dance that was arranged at one of my previous workplaces but that’s probably more of an evening thing with lots of beers. The people who didn’t want to join in could just point and laugh at the rest of us! 😂

Whist drive.

Agree to avoid exercise but a qi gong session might be an idea, if you keep it a bit short. Base it off a YouTube video.

adding a blind cola tasting session to the list - can you tell the difference between coke, Pepsi, supermarket brands?

Art class. Arranged this over zoom during lockdown and it went down an absolute storm, even with the cynics! Everyone created amazing pieces

meditation session. either use the time to actually
meditatw or to have a nap.

Can you suggest an anonymous survey, on something like surgery monkey to actually ask if people want to do this.

I come to work to WORK, I get on with people there and am friendly, but these lovely people are not my actual friends.
I can’t be doing with the actual waste of time enforced team building and fun and it builds resentment rather than good feeling in me.

I have walked out of exercise sessions sprung on us as part of a normal team business meeting and also declined the head massages the previous month. These are not good for MY well-being.

I’d rather solve an actual work problem in work time. I have so much in my in tray that this would annoy me to the end of my patience. My manager and colleagues would never know, as I am professional, but I hate it, and so do most colleagues, when we actually get a lunch break and can chat and bond over how bloody awful it is and how stupid management must be to still be doing this sort of twaddle.

please find a way to actually check your team welcome this and are not just doing it cos it is in work time and the boss said jump.

Really dangerous for people who have any hint of PTSD, and as this would be very private information how would you know it was okay to do this ?

Sort of get them asking for ideas but seems strange that they haven't had an OD approach to what the time might need but.... No idea of numbers budgets - do you? If not then I would ask what the budget is. Have done a few good things over the years but all have downsides for some people and most aren't cheap. We have had an uplifting singing sessions with David and Cary Grant firewalking and raft building none of which I imagine was cheap but could be replicated cheaper. Talks from interesting local people... Sports stars, Guide Dog etc. Usually a donation for their charity.
Colleagues have helped too e.g with trainee beauty therapists. They get experience.
If they have a catering section then a trip to their resturant may be a change from the sandwiches.
Our local community centre regularly has businesses come in for their team to do a project in the garden or redecorate a room say. Team building by doing good. If you are feeling under pressure to suggest things maybe that but dirn necessarily volunteer to organise!

But surely you just suggest it and those who want to take part take part?

im not sure I understand the link to ptsd on this? Not being difficult just don’t see how meditation can be triggering or dangerous.

Show and tell

@ememem84 , when you do relaxation or meditation your mind goes quiet and the flashbacks have a lovely space to rush into and replay themselves and a full on panic attack ensues.
Not really what is wanted in a work team building afternoon.

you can’t just sit and watch as the leaders voice will cause the relaxing, and so on.

you actually have to leave the room

Is it compulsory? I would not like this.

Personally, I would ask for a team chat to discuss what value having these regular team building sessions actually bring.

Honestly, I'd rather work than participate in forced fun, but if you have no choice then I'd go for simple activities

Games - Telestrations, Rockstar bingo

Craft activities - Paint by numbers/mini canvas sets, clay modelling/playdoh with a theme, biscuit decorating

Ah. That makes sense.

id still be in favour of just finishing early. And going home. Not everyone will do whatever event is planned. It’s a really nice idea though.

my work runs a yoga session on a Wednesday lunchtime. Sometimes I go. Sometimes not. Sometimes I’m the only one which is nice.

To do some voluntary work like decorate a community centre. Or go and tidy up and plant a neglected area

I love this kind of thing, however my my colleagues hate it. Sigh. Some have been better received than others

Quiz often popular but always dominated by a few.

One surprisingly popular kind of quiz was to 'submit' a baby picture in advance, all submitted were printed out on an A3 sheet and we were invited to guess who was which baby.

To keep it inclusive, we accepted any picture, including cartoons etc for anyone who didn't otherwise want to join in.

We sat around chatting while filling in the names. Some people contributed the story of what was happening when the picture was taken which meant we got to know each other a bit more.

And one of the background stores about the choice of cartoon was really the most interesting story of the session, discovered a whole new absorbing hobby world for an otherwise very quiet, shy colleague.

I suppose you could also frame it as being a victors of a location (or a person, or here) that is important to you. I'm describing show and tell now, aren't I?

We had a visit from an audiologist which was quite well received and at least not a total waste of time.
Hate this stuff generally though and would suggest doing away with it.

You know what if you've got cancer and you want cake you can have it as much as you want as often as you want. You've got cancer and the treatments are just horrendous so if cake makes someone happy for even a millisecond in their horrific journey then cake em up.

Sorry wrong thread I seem to have leapt from cake causes cancer to coffee mornings sorry bout that