So you thought you were the only one who hated team building days that are rammed down your throat and often encroach on your personal, time…not so.
They are embarrassing at times, and awkward, too.
The survey by Vodafone UK and YouGov suggests that British workers would much prefer communicating with each other better at work rather than being forced to build rapport with co-workers during forced adrenaline experiences or performing ‘trust’ exercises.
The research among more than 1,000 British employees with colleagues uncovered some eye-popping examples of awkward and silly team-building activities, including enduring bikini-clad ‘bed baths’ and massages from colleagues, holding lingerie parties, and eating crickets as part of a ‘bush tucker trial’ style event.
We would much prefer going out for drinks or a meal, and doing some charity work together, finds the survey.
While the majority of workers surveyed (66 per cent) have been made to do some form of team-building activity, more than half (54 per cent) don’t feel that doing more would help them work better with their colleagues.
According to the survey, adrenaline experiences like speed-boating and bungee jumping are considered the least effective team-building activities, followed by trust exercises such as being blindfolded and led by colleagues.
“Many genuine team-building activities can be valuable, but ultimately, to achieve better teamwork businesses need to get the basics right first. Employers need to focus on how their employees work day-to-day, and give staff the tools they need to be able to do their job best. Employees also want to be able to work smarter – and that means easy access to customers, colleagues and information wherever they are,” says Peter Kelly of Vodafone.
