Query re team building

debt4evernot

Hello quick question - we are admin workers and it has been suggested that we go on team building exercises! The complete dept is a shambles but we are the ones going on this - my question is do we have to go or can we say no?

DVardysShadow

If it is within your normal hours, you would have to go. But outside of that, you can refuse.

lalli_pickle

Why wouldn't you want to go? Have a day out, fully catered doing fun stuff and get paid for it. Sound like a good thing to me!

jimbms

DVardysShadow wrote: »

If it is within your normal hours, you would have to go. But outside of that, you can refuse.

Partially right except they cannot force you to do any physical or outdoor activity if physical or outdoor activity is not part of your contract. I don't blame you for not wanting to go, these team building fiascos are just a big con.

debt4evernot

jimbms wrote: »

Partially right except they cannot force you to do any physical or outdoor activity if physical or outdoor activity is not part of your contract. I don't blame you for not wanting to go, these team building fiascos are just a big con.

Thanks to everyone for your replies and I totally agree with you jimbms and thanks for the info

There certainly won't be any catering as we have a blanket ban on even tea,coffee, etc for meetings so imagine it will be either held at work or at work outside hours. Some of us have a huge workload and have been doing unpaid overtime to help clear it so a day away from work is going to have a massive impact. Oh joy!

villabadger

Be careful with this 'team building' thing. It could be an excuse for them to weed out the 'trouble makers' or 'non-team players'! In other words, they will be assessing you all to see who doesn't fit in. Watch out if they go down the road of psychometric tests, which are ok unless they use the information against you.;)

pjcox2005

Don't mean to be rude but you say the team is a shambles, management appear to have noted this (not always the case) and are trying to do something about it, and yet straight away it appears you are trying to make sure you don't have to do anything.

I appreciate work loads and that it could put you further behind, and I appreciate anything badged as team building can send people running for the hills, but perhaps short term pain and all of you giving it a go could actually see the team improve and take the pressure off in the future.

It may not...but at least give it a go with an open mind.

Googlewhacker

pjcox2005 wrote: »

Don't mean to be rude but you say the team is a shambles, management appear to have noted this (not always the case) and are trying to do something about it, and yet straight away it appears you are trying to make sure you don't have to do anything.

I appreciate work loads and that it could put you further behind, and I appreciate anything badged as team building can send people running for the hills, but perhaps short term pain and all of you giving it a go could actually see the team improve and take the pressure off in the future.

It may not...but at least give it a go with an open mind.

Exactly, the OP moans about the situation and when someone is trying something to create more cohesiveness and get the team working more efficiantly they shoot it down as worthless......no wonder the department is in a shambles

DVardysShadow

Googlewhacker wrote: »

Exactly, the OP moans about the situation and when someone is trying something to create more cohesiveness and get the team working more efficiantly they shoot it down as worthless......no wonder the department is in a shambles

Management in a place which is a shambles are responsible for the place being a shambles. This generates some cynicism in the employees who live with the shambles.

Reform starts at the top. If management want a team building day then they must make the running with convincing the employees. If they cannot cross this hurdle, then the exercise is doomed and they should hold off until they have everyone's confidence.

Premier_2

DVardysShadow wrote: »

... If they cannot cross this hurdle, then the exercise is doomed and they should hold off until they have everyone's confidence.

...or they simply run out of money to pay for such training to improve performance ... usually shortly followed by money to pay the employees wages.

Googlewhacker

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Management in a place which is a shambles are responsible for the place being a shambles. This generates some cynicism in the employees who live with the shambles.

Reform starts at the top. If management want a team building day then they must make the running with convincing the employees. If they cannot cross this hurdle, then the exercise is doomed and they should hold off until they have everyone's confidence.

The reform may have started at the top already for what we know but at the end of the day you can only reform the employees in the department if they are willing, if they are not they end up being moved on and people who are willing will take their place and reform the department.

The employees are just as much to blame as the employers in these types of situations normally