Team building days- do you hate them?

[Stressedgiraffe]

Inspire by a thread.
Why is there so much hate about team building days?
I've attended loads and organised some.
Usually they are ok, even fun sometimes but I've been lucky and generally like the people I work with. Some when I don't really like the team have been horrible.
I've got a team building event next week and will be doing everything that everyone seems to hate : travelling on the bank holiday to get there. 6 hours travel time. Staying in a hotel for 2 nights. 2 day team building . Travel 6 hours back.
But I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it'll be fun.
So I guess my aibu
Aibu- team building is ok even fun!
Ainbu- team building is the spawn of the devil and all should be banned!

First post hit the nail on the head.

I find them cringey and draining. All the “brainstorming” and “team building tasks” are forgotten about the next day when everyone is back in the office. Absolute waste of time, money and resources.

It's just nonsense corporate speak. It achieves little, and that what it does could be achieved in other ways, and the money spent in ways employees actually want.

@Pistachiovillian

seeing as you’re interested …. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish!_Philosophy?wprov=sfti1 😉

The senior manager of a department I worked in, bought into the fish philosophy. We were given a book on it to read which I swear turned into a kind of romantic novel. The woman falling for the man ( fishmonger ) due to his personality and attitude due to him following the Fish philosophy.

I hate forced work socialization of any kind!

They are horrendous. Cringey as anything. I've spent too much time building spaghetti towers and playing the guess the interesting fact game that has fuck all to do with my job. It's 'forced fun' and I hate it with a passion.

Hello, Chat GPT!

What the actual fuck??

Waste of time, massive waste of money. Outdated.

If you’re in private industry, I guarantee that your customers would much prefer then end product was marginally cheaper. Wasting money on team building just means everything costs more.

I just read that article and the very term "choose your attitude" made me see red. Talk about corporate victim-blaming shit.

Well here's the thing. OP is likely to have a number of introverts in her team. Everyone will have. These events can also be difficult for people with disabilities or caring responsibilities, or those who aren't neuro typical, as we've seen in this thread. Their views and comfort levels are just as important as everyone else's if you are truly focused on building a happy, cohesive team.

Traditional team building exercises only really cater to extroverts.

So, if they do achieve something, it probably won't be for everyone on the team. So they aren't 'team building' at all really.

I did wonder! What a load of corporate speak gobbledegook!

Hate them with a passion I'm afraid. Especially the ones that force you to stuff you don't want to in order to 'bond'.

Usually I'll end up going for a drink after work with colleagues Iike at some point. That's all the team building I need.

I think it depends, I did one recently abroad and it was great but I really like the company I work for and like the people I work with. Also my DC are older so being away from them for a few days is fine

Ive worked at places before where I’ve not really got on with people and was expected to go away with work colleagues on days I wasn’t at work and I really resented it (also didn’t go as had small kids which I used as a get out clause 😉)

Our annual "away days" are held ... in the office downstairs 😂 and we are asked to bring our own lunch.

Full of the same corporate bulls**t that everyone else has mentioned, so I won't repeat it again here.

Dear lord that’s reminded me of when I worked at a management consultancy and they used to bang on about this all the time. Management consultant team
building is even worse than the normal type 😂

They don't even buy you lunch 😮

I enjoy them! We are a small team who work remotely so I enjoy getting together and doing something fun during work time. I also genuinely like the people I work with.

Nope🙄The funny thing is, they have an HR campaign at the moment saying what a great employer they are, and we brought in loads of money last year, so we can certainly afford two dozen sandwiches and some bottles of water! The lack of awareness and care is astonishing.

That's awful altogether. That's the bare minimum like. That said, I could never eat our bought in lunches as I won't eat mayonnaise and they always insisted on that rather than butter. So I sat at the end of the table, looking ruefully at the sambos 😂

Oh my, I can see where 'our lot' get their ideas from 🙄

I managed a team and schedule team days once a year. They're always during the working day, finish after lunch and everyone gets to go home early. No building towers or rafts or anything else like that. No complaints so far!

I don't like forced team building events. Luckily my workplace don't really do them. We have a team day but it's not cringey, it's all work related and interesting.

I do like more natural team building like going to the pub with my colleagues etc and wish there was more time for that!

Either that or a toxic work environment where being seen to be present is more important than being seen to do a good job. A failure of management / leadership again, not hybrid/home working

I made myself a member of the awkward squad forever with management when I asked for a day off in lieu for 'voluntary' softball with colleagues in the park on a Sunday.
1/ So presumptuous to think staff should give up their own or family time when we already work over and above during the week.
2/ softball? We are not an Amercan company. But there are too many Shermans in middle management, too many of whom live only to work.
3/ I hated rounders at school.
(I didn't get the day off and skipped the enforced and super competitive jollity).

I'd be so fucked off with a weekend thing. The absolute cheek of them