'Teambuilding' at the weekend

[whatdidyousaaay]

I work 9-5 Monday to Friday and that's all I'm contracted for. Our team has had a few issues (mostly due to a couple of people being very unpleasant and upsetting everyone!) and so the boss has decided to host a teambuilding activity. One of the unpleasant people won't be attending, having made a good excuse in advance, but the other will. The event is on a Sunday and, while it's free for staff, it's an outdoor activity (which I usually like, but this is not my cup of tea) and we will need to provide our own food. The boss doesn't need to pay for this (is just paying for transport as the activity is free) so won't lose money if I don't attend. Would you just suck it up and go or would you respectfully decline? It's very much expected that we will attend.

It's all day and is around 2 hours from where we live.

YABU - of course you should go
YANBU - no way!

Hahahahaha absolutely not. Team-building exercises like this are always bullshit anyway. On a Sunday? Absolutely never.

Will you be paid overtime for attending this event?

Hahahahahahaha.

Your boss thinks you should give up your Sunday for team building?

It's a no from me.

Team building should be in work time if it is very much expected that you will attend!

Absolute immediate decline!

The team are struggling to work together 5 days a week so let’s make them see each other 6 days a week????

That's a no from me. I'd laugh my arse off if I was asked to do this.

Totally unreasonable to travel 2 hours on a Sunday and give up a whole day unpaid.

sre you getting a day of annual leave in lieu? If not I would decline .

I hate shit like this.

Many people work to live, not live to work, and once they are out of their contracted hours just went to be free to do what they want with the little time they have leftover.

I'd be happy to attend actual training for my job as long as it was paid off time owed, but not team building. No way.

If one person is allowed to not attend, then so is everyone. I definitely wouldn't go. Last time I went to one of these it was just a prolonged meeting. There was food provided though & it was during work time

It seems pointless if one of the two instigators of the issues isn't attending.

Whenever my employers hold weekend social events I am away for the weekend.

Whether I actually am or not.

edited: I don't dislike my colleagues but I like to keep them at arm's length and definitely don't want to see their kids and dogs.

How on earth would I word the email that says noooooooooo

Your boss sounds like a cheapskate! I'd be amazed if anyone attends!

They want you to travel four hours, give up one of your days off

...and spend it with people you don't like? Are they paying you for it? I would definitely be declining!

Personally I'd rather fork out my own eyeballs and eat them, than attend a team building exercise. Don't get me wrong I get on perfectly fine with everyone I work with. I just don't do shite like that.

They have to pay you for your time for that surely?

DP has to go to things sometimes, it's a good job and an excellent company with good opportunity for promotion so he is quite active in partaking. They also do family socials and footy trips.

For travel 2 hours away he'd be provided with a hotel the night before and food and drinks are paid for that night. If it was a working day he'd get his usual pay plus overtime for the travel and overnight stay. For a weekend he'd get paid the overtime for the whole event.

You're not required to work outside of your working hours so they have to pay you to do so.

I'd only do this if I had an extra day of annual leave in lieu to take whenever I wanted, and I like my team.
Work event on a Sunday, two hours from home? Absolutely not

It's either optional or they pay you to go. Really this should be held during working hours, I know you are trying to get out of it OP but its really shit for people with caring responsibilities who might actually want to go.

I have gone out with my colleagues on the weekend before, but I like them and our boss always gets us a pub lunch too!

My initial reaction to this was ‘hahahaha - nope’ — and after thinking about it it’s still the same!
can’t think of anything worse!

I never ever go to team building exercises. It's lazy and ineffective management dealing with bullying issues in this way.

But this isn’t a team building issue. Your manager has two staff he cannot manage effectively enough to stop them making an unpleasant environment for the team, who presumably do a good job.

If anyone needs additional training it is your manager. He needs to learn how to manage disruptive staff and show appreciation for the rest of the team

I think most team building events are box ticking exercises that very rarely achieve anything meaningful.

No, I’d be pointing out that one of the reasons for said event is not going to be there so what’s the point. Manager should spend their Sunday learning how to manage a team more effectively than letting two people be so disruptive.

Nope don't go. Team building should be for work days. What are single parents and carers supposed to do? Shell out for childcare? . It's not inclusive and your manager is a dickhead.