Is it just me that hates wellness days/team building and bonding activities?

[Zippedydoobaah]

I'd rather just be in work. Colleagues are perfectly nice but not particularly the people I'd choose to do yoga or build a raft out of spaghetti and marshmallows with. Unfortunately(!) I was sick on the last wellbeing day but just got a bag of tat brought back. A child's plastic cup, a (dog) toy that is an "emotional support" cucumber and other crap I now need to inflict on a charity shop. My colleagues seem to love these things and I think surely I can't be the only one who hates them? Has anyone ever been brave enough to say they'd rather not do these days?

No, if a manager cannot build a team using their own skills then an outside agency cannot magically do it on an awayday.

The best team building session would be to work together to get a hard task done and once it is finished, go home early.

I am 100% with you. This type of thing makes me cringe. Just no. I cannot stop thinking about all the 'real' work that needs to be done.

I have yet to experience one that truly delivers. Italian cooking, bowling, chocolate making, I could go on.

Totally agree, this kind of nonsense, doing stupid stuff with people you don't necessarily like is a nightmare. Dodge if you can, pull a sicky.

I refuse to participate in this nonsense. Literally…just refuse! If I’m actually at the venue and they start it, I simply say no, I won’t be doing that. I’ve never been forced to…I suspect they know me well enough to not try 😂

No it is not just you who hates them.

When our budget was tight a few years ago, all such things like this were cancelled, no more away days in hotels etc. Thankfully they have never come back.

You could argue that someone with a hidden disability who has chosen not to declare it could be forced into doing so, therefore it is not inclusive. Even though you might not have a hidden disability yourself.

Oh I can’t stand any of it. My late Dh broke a rib once catching an egg during one of these stupid things, he was in pain for weeks. Made absolutely no visible impact on the work outcomes.

I do think in my own workplace that making the effort to have our bimonthly team meetings face to face is worth it - we all operate in the same area but are largely remote. It definitely helps to meet IRL, and to have the odd associated social evening.

We did have a single team building exercise as part of a culture reset one time (yep, spaghetti and marshmallows). I think we learned not to moan about the culture as otherwise we’d have to do it again.

We had some teambuilding activities at our workplace. Thankfully mostly civilised ones, and you could pick what you did. I did the one where you went on a walk round a lake. That was genuinely teambuilding as you could just have nice chats with people. No embarrassing wanky nonsense.

It’s all a complete waste of time and money. No one seems to enjoy them.

Thankfully I've only ever been on one away day when I worked in the corporate field 25 years ago. It was actually a lot of fun and I'm the sort that hate the whole idea of them. Ours included using sheepdogs to herd Indian runner ducks into pens (a la One Man And His Dog) which was just hilarious and axe throwing.

Axe-throwing I could enjoy. Spaghetti and marshmallows - not so much.😂

I hate these with a passion. We have a team away day next week and it will likely be full of this sort of shite. I’m 58 FFS, I don’t want to get to know people at work, I just want to be left alone to do my job and go home. I’m seriously contemplating throwing a sickie and that’s so not like me. Just no.

Hmm the "forced fun" days - loath this evolution in the workplace as it is a byproduct of the disastrous "bring your whole self to work" ethos

I used to enjoy Strategy Days as they were work focussed and quite a hoot before DEI and the wokerarti got into HR

Suggest a migraine may be timely

All this team building stuff started in the 80's. But back then it usually involved something like a half arsed game of soft ball in the summer with much dicking around and copious amounts of free alcohol. So most of the staff (except perhaps a few of the older ones) were well up for it. I dread to think what they're like now. All deadly serious and corporate I guess.

Complete waste of time and money.

I hated these sorts of things and never wanted to participate in any of them. I'd far rather have just been in work.

We spent a day with some silly woo woo woman making us lie on the floor and telling us not to use deodorant because it caused cancer (she stank of BO so was presumably following this advice). Then later on told us that cancer was caused by stress. Complete bampot.

The walk around the lake would also be my idea of a team build too. It's an opportunity to chat to each other outside of work that wouldn't otherwise be available. Useful for newer team members too.

Glad I'm not the only one. It doesn't help that my colleagues cannot wait and haven't stopped talking about it. I'd much rather my manager bought decent coffee and some nice biscuits, that would really improve my wellbeing.

Why do workplaces do it? Is it a box ticking thing or do they really believe it's good for team building?

I’ve found my people. I hate this stuff. My work ones always involve drink and I’m an alcoholic in recovery. They make me feel so marginalised as there’s all the chat about it before and after as well. I don’t think it builds a team so much as a clique. I would be up for something like a walk around a lake but it’s always drink related like a bar of some sort and put into random teams so get so anxious not knowing if I’ll be on a team with the drinkiest old boy types. Places I’ve worked before have done community clean up type stuff and sporty stuff and I’d be more ok with that as there is a clear plan and stuff to do , I just hate the awkwardly standing around with a drink trying to make conversation.

I think some people genuinely enjoy it and they get a budget they want to spend.

Lord who gets the luxury of these now? Never did them in the NHS so that’s not changed. I’d love a team building away day just for a laugh and a chance to bond with colleagues get pissed. Never gonna happen. Where do I sign up for a company that does them?

It's definitely a box ticking exercise. I know very few people who enjoy them. However, I have always 'bonded ' with colleagues over how much we hate them and how ridiculous it is and we end up laughing about it so in a perverse way it works I suppose.

Community clean up?! What the hell....my house is a tip, come round and we'll all bond over folding my clean laundry.
That's really crap about your situation and when the next one is suggested I will actively speak up against attending anything with alcohol. Hopefully everyone will be raging and decide not to do anything.

Even worse “pictionary” in a Teams calls. Just fuck off.