delqom

My company bosses, in their infinite wisdom, recently put myself and a group of my workmates on a teambuilding camping trip. The exercise has resulted in two of my workmates leaving and one is currently facing disciplinary action.

Attendance on the teambuilding weekend was entirely voluntary but many felt that non-attendance would not be good for their careers so everybody signed up for the three day, two night event. They had planned a packed intinerary including archery, hiking, climbing and orienteering. But no sooner had we arrived and things began to go downhill.

There had clearly been a major breakdown in communication as many people apparently had not been told what they needed to bring along. Many people had turned up without sleeping bags and some had even omitted to bring any proper outdoor clothing.This prompted some arguments between some of my colleagues and a small group decided it was time for lunch at a local bar.

The organizers had kindly provided all of the main camping equipment including optional tents, hammocks and tarpaulins, ideal for the hardier, experienced campers. I chose the log cabin option as this was comfortably fitted out with proper beds.

When my workmates stumbled back from the bar they were very much the worse for drink. The afternoon was to be spent orienteering around the local woodland. The organizers had set up a treasure hunt that would see us cover around 6 miles, following clues and instructions as we reached each checkpoint. The prospect of walking 6 miles was clearly too much for the group who’d returned from the pub and instead they chose to sit in a clearing smoking, drinking whiskey and telling jokes.

When the evening came it was time for us to prepare our evening meal over a campfire. The ingredients for our supper consisted of several whole chickens, some potatoes and other vegetables along with some dried fruit and fruit juices. The menu was clearly not to the liking of a few of my colleagues who decided that they would prefer pizza so they got on the phone to a delivery service in a nearby village. This prompted the orgnisers to call a meeting with all of the attendees to make certain we all knew what was expected of us.

Thnings didn’t improve as more alcohol was consumed and people became increasingly restless. The group who had chosen to go for a liquid lunch had missed the opportunity to choose bunks in the log cabin so they were expected to sleep in the tents. This didn’t go down well and several said that they would prefer to go to a hotel. When one of the organisers pointed out that this was outside the spirit of teambuilding they became quite belligerant and one even threatened the organisers.

This resulted in several people who were unhappy with the exercise packing up and going home. Those of us who stuck around had a really excellent time but the organisers will not be inviting us back.

This sorry tale should serve to remind managers that you really need to be certain that you get the buy-in of everybody who attends a teambuilding exercise like this. It’s also important to ensure that everybody knows what is expected of them and what they will get out of the exercise.