To feel like resigning to avoid a horrible team building event

[evilharpy]

It's been announced that my team (of about 15, all of whom I like but most of whom I don't know very well at all) is being sent to a team building event at the end of February. It's three days. Residential. Outdoor physical stuff. In February. It will be wet and freezing. We will have to share rooms. I hate the outdoors, especially when it's wet and freezing. I hate physical stuff unless it's a nice gym-based class. I will have to buy suitable outdoor clothes. And most of all I hate hate hate sharing rooms even with very close friends and will be desperately uncomfortable and miserable the entire time. The only way it could possibly be worse is if it involved camping.

I won't actually resign obviously (for one thing my notice period is longer than the end of Feb) but I will probably worry about it every single day until it's over.

Has anyone been on anything similar and can either confirm that it will be miserable or convince me that it might actually be fun?

Oh god. Everything about that is awful. I would feel exactly the same as you.

Surely if they’re making you share rooms you can refuse?

That's grim. Is it close to home? If so I'd be tempted to fling yourself energetically into the first day's activities, then very disappointingly come down with a migraine/horrid cold on the first evening and have to go home and miss the rest :(

I would simply tell them that I’m not going. They can’t force you to share a room surely?
I suffer with a disability anyway so that would be my get out.
I do feel for you OP as this would be my idea of hell

That's what the flu or stomach upsets are for.

I wouldn't share a room with anyone, ever

I would absolutely flat out refuse on the grounds of sharing rooms. Absolutely no way I would want to do this with a close friend, let alone a work colleague. Just no.

That sounds like hell to me. Surely you can refuse. If it isn't part of your contract they can't make you do it!!
No way would I share a room with work colleagues!

Call in sick those days!

Do you have caring responsibilities that mean you cant possibly stay away fpr that long?
Sounds crap really does
I could handle one day in the summer but thats it

I used to love a good team building event. I used to room share with my job share who I didn't see enough of so we used to have a good catch up and get quietly pissed.

I've abseiled and built a raft and done all sorts on such events.

Oh lord I thought those things died a death about 10 years ago.
Does anyone at work know you're not keen ? If not feign mad enthusiasm for it and tell everyone how mich you're looking forward to it. Then come down with really bad vomiting or flu bug day before you're dur to go - of course you'd love to still come but can't infect your room mate.

Can they make you do it?

In the past my employer has suggested team building exercises and I've been quite outspoken against them. Luckily now my organisation is skint so a 3-day jolly is totally out of the question.

Do you have children? If do, could you say you haven't got childcare? Three days is a big ask!

It's far far away. About 3-4 hours drive. No idea if they're going to do transport or we're expected to drive. We can claim mileage obviously.

But fucking hell. Why would anyone think this is a good idea? I haven't been in the team very long and it'll look bad if I refuse to go.

Tactically I would pretend to be THE keenest participant. Talk of how much you enjoy such things. Offer to be an official helper. That way, when you are struck down by norovirus, they will believe you are gutted, not faking it.

Oh my god this sounds awful

Xposted with rookiemere.

You could pretend to twist your ankle/sprain your wrist, so you could still go into work (and not be accused of skiving) but, O woe is you, sadly you won't be able to attend the team building event (to which you were so looking forward.)

I think I'd be ill. In fact I'd definitely be very ill.

Oh and I've already let it slip that it's my idea of actual hell, because I was so shocked and filled with utter horror when it was announced.

I have refused to go on events / workshops because of the room-sharing thing. I consider this to be an ask too far and I will not do it. At all. Under any circumstances. Aside from anything else I just think everyone deserves some proper 'downtime' and privacy on these things. IMO it is not reasonable to expect someone to be with other people 24x7x however many days are involved. Can you check with HR?

I am a normal person. And so I would like to be able to fart, snore, walk around half-naked, go to the loo etc etc without anyone watching me.

It’s a test and it sounds horrible. But you can do it.

Totally ridiculous. Can you refuse to share a room on grounds of snoring/sleep talking/unspecified embarrassing complaint? Norovirus is tempting but they may see through it.

Be ill. I wish I had done that a bit more often. It sounds like a nightmare. Don't moan about it beforehand. Of course you're really looking forward to such a great event and enjoy a challenge.