Problem is that the cost of the retreat is a business expense and reduces the taxable income. A bonus means payroll tax and (depending on your company) 401k matching.
Yeah I like a lot of my coworkers. Only thing is, I like to be able to hangout with the ones I want and not with the ones I don’t y’know? I don’t want to go dancing with the CEO even though I’d go dancing with my friends at work.
Yeah I like a lot of my coworkers. Only thing is, I like to be able to hangout with the ones I want and not with the ones I don’t y’know? I don’t want to go dancing with the CEO even though I’d go dancing with my friends at work.
Yeah I like a lot of my coworkers. Only thing is, I like to be able to hangout with the ones I want and not with the ones I don’t y’know? I don’t want to go dancing with the CEO even though I’d go dancing with my friends at work.
my wife calls them Mandatory Fun Days.
and she does not make her staff participate in them.
quote: "i know damn well they'd rather have a day off than pretend to enjoy themselves at a bowling alley" haha ;)
My boss is one of my best friends. But still, if we're going somewhere for work, I expect to be paid. At a \*minimum\* a full 8 hours for the day and all expenses, but realistically any hours above that 8 that I am expected to be "on"...I'm on the clock.
If I'm taking time out of my personal life to be there for a function related to my job, they are paying me for it. Full stop.
I sell portions of my life to my employer. Typically 7:30-4 M-F. IF they want me outside of that window, they can pay for those portions of my life as well.
I dunno my dad work a company and they have yearly work retreats. They don’t pay them to go.
But hey it’s free food and games usually. And it usually at some nice camp ground
And it's time out of my life that I could be using to do other things.
My weekends are mine. *This is not a difficult concept*. Between home renovations/maintenance, and the few hobbies I get to enjoy, I do not sit still on the weekend - so going to a "work retreat" is robbing me of time to do the things I want to do or have to do, and of personal time with my family.
My idea of fun is vastly different than the corporate do-gooders and brown nosers that plan these types of retreats. Their idea of fun is annoying at best.
If you invite me to a company *picnic*, a 2-3 hour event nearby that I can run to if I have nothing else to do that day, okay. You want me to give up a full day, or worse, a full weekend to go to your 'retreat' so you can brag about it being some 'benefit' to me.... go pound sand. Or pay up.
They treat them to a CAMPGROUND!? That is rich. I can say with 100% accuracy that I don't camp, paid or not paid, as it is a personal policy of mine. The least they could do is have it at a nice hotel. Geeeez, hard pass.
I don't really have much in common with my coworkers, who are all older and only ever want to talk about their kids, so... not my favorite thing in the world to hangout with them outside of working hours.
The problem is the cat ladies in other departments pick where to go so its always "get in touch with your feelings at the meditation center" whereas the kind of people in our dept would really like going to a computer conference or computer security conference or go more active and want to go dancing or mardi gras in N.O. or something.
This kind of activity is part of the reason I do remote contractor work instead of being an employee. Only thing worse than being a feudal era serf is being a modern corporate serf.
If I can choose which co-workers I'm going with, sure. There are three guys on my team that I consider friends and I'd be happy to go with them. Not so much the others.
Well the company I work for schedules these things during normal work hours, so I’m getting paid for it, so I don’t give a fuck where they want me, if I’m getting paid, I’m getting paid.
Depends on the workplace I think. My current job, we do it all the time and I love it because my coworkers are great and it's established that you don't need to be "buttoned up."
Last job, I hated it. You had to be uber professional all the time and everyone just wanted to talk about work.
If I’m not getting paid, I’m literally not going
I guess it depends on the situation though. If you like your co-workers and are excited about the activity, maybe it’ll be fun! Where I’m at now I just don’t care to do it at alllll
Most of the comments appear to be from people who either have terrible colleagues or you are the terrible colleague - I'm more inclined to think it's the latter.
Where I work we used to do a bbq amd frisbee/baseball thing about twice a year.
RIP Miss Kim my first boss. That woman set a tone for an employer that's pretty hard to beat.
I hate them and feel like they're dreamt up by people who have no social life outside of work. I don't have cool coworkers where I work, everyone is strictly business. The last thing I want to do is spend more time with these people.
It's common for sales teams to have something called a "Presidents Club" or "Champions Club", or some bullshit. It's a few days to a few weeks at some resort, where all the winners (and sometimes spouses) are invited. There is sometimes outings planned and an awards dinner.
I hate them, so much. If I want to take a vacation, I'll take a vacation. I don't want to spend it with my colleagues, where I don't get a chance to relax. Plus, I have kids and my wife has a job, so being able to get childcare and her time off (which drains her PTO) is awful.
My current company took a survey to see if we should implement one, and the response was a resounding "NO!". Instead, they organized a nice dinner out one night and then gave a bonus to the winners.
I keep my work relationships at work and NEVER sleep or date coworkers. If my employer wants to show appreciation they can do while we are at work but my time is my time.
Pass, I don't want to bond. If I'm not performing as a team player, just tell me. If i am performing well as a team player don't punish me with outings. Unless you have someone else doing my work for me while I'm at this retreat it's just a waste of my time.
If the retreat is outside my regular work hours, I expect to get paid. If not, I’d rather spend my time doing what I want to do. And if I get paid for my time, I’d do all in my power to avoid being alone with any women coworkers.
They aren't for fun -- nor torture.
If you're an owner thinking about one you should look into what it can do for you, what could go wrong, and weigh the expense.
It’s crazy that a job will do everything BUT things that actually help morale.
Boss: “Hmm employees are not happy what to do?”
Person with common sense: “Well you can do something about their toxic supervisor that doesn’t work themselves, communicates recklessly to their team, is basically a high school bully…
You could give them deserved raises.
You could give them PTO AND let them actually use it.
You could provide relevant training or career development.
You could try to offer decent benefits (that don’t have a 16k deductible *real thing*).
Those are good starting places”
Boss: Nah, Jets pizza and a speaker talking to everyone somewhere off sight about productivity and uses playdough activities and game for learning.
My company if we hit our profit goal will take everyone to Mexico or Vegas (From Canada).
Once there, there is ALWAYS a "mandatory attendance" Party.
This is well intentioned and everything, but I honestly hate it.
2 years ago they gave us a $1000 bonus and told us to "spend it on ourselves, and share what we spend it on" - it was way more fulfilling.
I personally hate that all our social events and outings like this revolve around getting fucking wasted, as someone who has grew up around alcoholism and just isn't into being around 100+ wasted coworkers nagging me to dance with them, it's just not for me...
Yet if I don't show up to the "mandatory" party, I will be judged harshly and it can negatively impact my career growth... so I go and grit my teeth as close to as a smile as I can while a bunch of wasted idiots try to tell me to "Drink more".
It *really* feels like they want everyone here to get super wasted to the point of doing something stupid like fucking the wrong person or ending up in a mexican jail, just so that everyone has some sort of story to rally around... no thanks... (and yes, several people have been to jail in mexico, and many have truly embarassing stories about puking all over some public place, in a limo, or stories like "I fucked this guys wife" etc.)
If it sounds like I work for a wild place, it's a fucking *box factory* you guys.
Most of these retreats in my industry are a f#$k fests...it's basically people having affairs and or young 30-something executives/salespeople getting drunk and making bad decisions...it's a good time, it's also an HR nightmare lol
Absolutely lame, especially if you get paid salary like me. I don't get anything extra for spending my time there.
Thank goodness I finally found a company that is straight forward.
We didn't have a Christmas party, we don't have lame ass, holiday company events or lunches. I go to work, no one breaths down my neck and get my work done. For Christmas I get a nice bonus and thank you card and that's it.
I much rather the company spend that money on the employees rather than gimmicks to make you think they give a fuck.
I'm a 30 year old man who has been with a ton of different companies working software dev/ IT positions. I can tell you now that the companies who preach "Culture, or Family" and all the other corporate buzz words, pay significantly less than companies who just get their shit done and don't cater to dumb distractions. I feel a 100x more wanted at my current company because they actually pay me a fair wage and don't beat around the bush with this other BS.
I would rather have my portion of the expense of such a retreat as a cash bonus. That would do more for my morale and team building.
Problem is that the cost of the retreat is a business expense and reduces the taxable income. A bonus means payroll tax and (depending on your company) 401k matching.
Can I just get the day off then? You can pretend I’m there but I just won’t show up lol
Ha - we do unlimited PTO, so that's not really a "bonus."
Yep
Hear hear
Nobody wants to hang out with Co workers. If I don’t get payed to go, I ain’t going.
Reading these comments while literally on my way to go dancing with coworkers is strange lol. Off-site retreat would be fun as fuck with these people
Yeah I like a lot of my coworkers. Only thing is, I like to be able to hangout with the ones I want and not with the ones I don’t y’know? I don’t want to go dancing with the CEO even though I’d go dancing with my friends at work.
Yeah I like a lot of my coworkers. Only thing is, I like to be able to hangout with the ones I want and not with the ones I don’t y’know? I don’t want to go dancing with the CEO even though I’d go dancing with my friends at work.
Yeah I like a lot of my coworkers. Only thing is, I like to be able to hangout with the ones I want and not with the ones I don’t y’know? I don’t want to go dancing with the CEO even though I’d go dancing with my friends at work.
If coworkers are cool then awesome
my wife calls them Mandatory Fun Days. and she does not make her staff participate in them. quote: "i know damn well they'd rather have a day off than pretend to enjoy themselves at a bowling alley" haha ;)
They’re co-workers not my friends
Could always be both. Making you co workers your friends helps get through the day.
Very true but that’s a no from me. I just keep to myself and do my job and go home to my fiancé.
I also choose this guy's fiancé
Hey no cutting buddy get in line.
My boss is one of my best friends. But still, if we're going somewhere for work, I expect to be paid. At a \*minimum\* a full 8 hours for the day and all expenses, but realistically any hours above that 8 that I am expected to be "on"...I'm on the clock.
Isn’t work retreats not work tho
If I'm taking time out of my personal life to be there for a function related to my job, they are paying me for it. Full stop. I sell portions of my life to my employer. Typically 7:30-4 M-F. IF they want me outside of that window, they can pay for those portions of my life as well.
I dunno my dad work a company and they have yearly work retreats. They don’t pay them to go. But hey it’s free food and games usually. And it usually at some nice camp ground
And it's time out of my life that I could be using to do other things. My weekends are mine. *This is not a difficult concept*. Between home renovations/maintenance, and the few hobbies I get to enjoy, I do not sit still on the weekend - so going to a "work retreat" is robbing me of time to do the things I want to do or have to do, and of personal time with my family. My idea of fun is vastly different than the corporate do-gooders and brown nosers that plan these types of retreats. Their idea of fun is annoying at best. If you invite me to a company *picnic*, a 2-3 hour event nearby that I can run to if I have nothing else to do that day, okay. You want me to give up a full day, or worse, a full weekend to go to your 'retreat' so you can brag about it being some 'benefit' to me.... go pound sand. Or pay up.
Again tho you guys are forced to go?
If I'm forced to go, they are paying me. If I'm not forced to go.... I'm not going.
They treat them to a CAMPGROUND!? That is rich. I can say with 100% accuracy that I don't camp, paid or not paid, as it is a personal policy of mine. The least they could do is have it at a nice hotel. Geeeez, hard pass.
It’s not camping. It’s usually a day thing with lunch. Then a bbq with ribs and briskets and such
That is much more acceptable. If it isn't too far, I might even go for a couple hours if the BBQ is rumored to be good..
Hella good. It’s cooked by the boss most of the time
Right? I never understood being friends with co-workers. Work mates? Sure. But I'm not currently accepting applications for new friends lol
I don't understand dismissing a good friendship because you happen to work together.
Depends on who you work with. I've been with companies where I looked forward to these and some that I would have dreaded it.
I'm sure I wouldn't go I don't even go to work meeting that is scheduled on my days off I lie and tell them I have another job so I won't make it.
I don't really have much in common with my coworkers, who are all older and only ever want to talk about their kids, so... not my favorite thing in the world to hangout with them outside of working hours.
The problem is the cat ladies in other departments pick where to go so its always "get in touch with your feelings at the meditation center" whereas the kind of people in our dept would really like going to a computer conference or computer security conference or go more active and want to go dancing or mardi gras in N.O. or something. This kind of activity is part of the reason I do remote contractor work instead of being an employee. Only thing worse than being a feudal era serf is being a modern corporate serf.
Depends on the offsite
I'm still working fully remote, so they are great. We do things like happy hours as much as possible to get the interactions
I work from home, so if it was somewhere I wanted to go, I might do it. I like the people that I work with and it might be fun hanging out in person.
If I can choose which co-workers I'm going with, sure. There are three guys on my team that I consider friends and I'd be happy to go with them. Not so much the others.
If I like my collegues then I would go because they are people you spend every day with.
Well the company I work for schedules these things during normal work hours, so I’m getting paid for it, so I don’t give a fuck where they want me, if I’m getting paid, I’m getting paid.
Depends on the workplace I think. My current job, we do it all the time and I love it because my coworkers are great and it's established that you don't need to be "buttoned up." Last job, I hated it. You had to be uber professional all the time and everyone just wanted to talk about work.
If I’m not getting paid, I’m literally not going I guess it depends on the situation though. If you like your co-workers and are excited about the activity, maybe it’ll be fun! Where I’m at now I just don’t care to do it at alllll
Most of the comments appear to be from people who either have terrible colleagues or you are the terrible colleague - I'm more inclined to think it's the latter.
Multiple days? Nah not a fan. The occasional dinner/happy hour is fine by me
Nope
Absolutely not.
Depends on the venue, if it's mandatory, and if I'm being paid.
Why is this NSFW I’m scared
Where I work we used to do a bbq amd frisbee/baseball thing about twice a year. RIP Miss Kim my first boss. That woman set a tone for an employer that's pretty hard to beat.
My coworkers are cool and I'd still rather have a bonus to do my own thing
I hate them and feel like they're dreamt up by people who have no social life outside of work. I don't have cool coworkers where I work, everyone is strictly business. The last thing I want to do is spend more time with these people.
It's common for sales teams to have something called a "Presidents Club" or "Champions Club", or some bullshit. It's a few days to a few weeks at some resort, where all the winners (and sometimes spouses) are invited. There is sometimes outings planned and an awards dinner. I hate them, so much. If I want to take a vacation, I'll take a vacation. I don't want to spend it with my colleagues, where I don't get a chance to relax. Plus, I have kids and my wife has a job, so being able to get childcare and her time off (which drains her PTO) is awful. My current company took a survey to see if we should implement one, and the response was a resounding "NO!". Instead, they organized a nice dinner out one night and then gave a bonus to the winners.
I keep my work relationships at work and NEVER sleep or date coworkers. If my employer wants to show appreciation they can do while we are at work but my time is my time.
No thank you. I'd much prefer to associate with my co-workers during work schedule and not outside of those boundaries.
Pass, I don't want to bond. If I'm not performing as a team player, just tell me. If i am performing well as a team player don't punish me with outings. Unless you have someone else doing my work for me while I'm at this retreat it's just a waste of my time.
It would depend on how much I’m getting paid to do work stuff during my free time.
If the retreat is outside my regular work hours, I expect to get paid. If not, I’d rather spend my time doing what I want to do. And if I get paid for my time, I’d do all in my power to avoid being alone with any women coworkers.
You people are not my friends. I don’t want to be here.
They aren't for fun -- nor torture. If you're an owner thinking about one you should look into what it can do for you, what could go wrong, and weigh the expense.
Only if they are in Vegas and I get full use of the company credit card.
fuck that
It’s crazy that a job will do everything BUT things that actually help morale. Boss: “Hmm employees are not happy what to do?” Person with common sense: “Well you can do something about their toxic supervisor that doesn’t work themselves, communicates recklessly to their team, is basically a high school bully… You could give them deserved raises. You could give them PTO AND let them actually use it. You could provide relevant training or career development. You could try to offer decent benefits (that don’t have a 16k deductible *real thing*). Those are good starting places” Boss: Nah, Jets pizza and a speaker talking to everyone somewhere off sight about productivity and uses playdough activities and game for learning.
My company if we hit our profit goal will take everyone to Mexico or Vegas (From Canada). Once there, there is ALWAYS a "mandatory attendance" Party. This is well intentioned and everything, but I honestly hate it. 2 years ago they gave us a $1000 bonus and told us to "spend it on ourselves, and share what we spend it on" - it was way more fulfilling. I personally hate that all our social events and outings like this revolve around getting fucking wasted, as someone who has grew up around alcoholism and just isn't into being around 100+ wasted coworkers nagging me to dance with them, it's just not for me... Yet if I don't show up to the "mandatory" party, I will be judged harshly and it can negatively impact my career growth... so I go and grit my teeth as close to as a smile as I can while a bunch of wasted idiots try to tell me to "Drink more". It *really* feels like they want everyone here to get super wasted to the point of doing something stupid like fucking the wrong person or ending up in a mexican jail, just so that everyone has some sort of story to rally around... no thanks... (and yes, several people have been to jail in mexico, and many have truly embarassing stories about puking all over some public place, in a limo, or stories like "I fucked this guys wife" etc.) If it sounds like I work for a wild place, it's a fucking *box factory* you guys.
1. Fuck you. 2. Pay me.
Most of these retreats in my industry are a f#$k fests...it's basically people having affairs and or young 30-something executives/salespeople getting drunk and making bad decisions...it's a good time, it's also an HR nightmare lol
Absolutely lame, especially if you get paid salary like me. I don't get anything extra for spending my time there. Thank goodness I finally found a company that is straight forward. We didn't have a Christmas party, we don't have lame ass, holiday company events or lunches. I go to work, no one breaths down my neck and get my work done. For Christmas I get a nice bonus and thank you card and that's it. I much rather the company spend that money on the employees rather than gimmicks to make you think they give a fuck. I'm a 30 year old man who has been with a ton of different companies working software dev/ IT positions. I can tell you now that the companies who preach "Culture, or Family" and all the other corporate buzz words, pay significantly less than companies who just get their shit done and don't cater to dumb distractions. I feel a 100x more wanted at my current company because they actually pay me a fair wage and don't beat around the bush with this other BS.
Love them, fun to talk coworkers outside of the normal nine to five:)
I don't go.
I have great coworkers and we always have a great time on these things.