Don't you love it when your employer treats you like a six year old?
In my distinguished job history, ok, I've had jobs anyway, the one thing I find fascinating is what they, the employer, really think about the intellect of the employee.
In my job, I am responsible for over 2 million dollars in purchases annually. Yet, when policies change or information must be imparted, they have a meeting where I play games like at a childrens' birthday party and walk out with a lollipop and a balloon! WTF?
Basically, I guess they figure that if they announce the new ways you're being screwed over while you play "pin the tail on the donkey" and receive all the bubble gum you can chew, you still walk away blissfully happy.
This must be what the Human Resources types learn at their seminars out of town. I figure the first two days they party it up and then on the third day they sit in a circle.
"Yo, it's the last day, I need to take something back to work besides an STD."
passes whacky weed to the next.
"Duuude, how about a team building exercise where you pass a water balloon around with pencils?"
passes to the next.
"How about some game where they have to make barnyard animal sounds?"
general laughter erupts. Many potato chips are eaten.
Team building? Oh I hate those. It's bad enough to see the people who you loathe during the day as you have to deal with them. But now I have to play some game with this a-hole and this is supposed to make us buddies who work in as a happy team? No! It reminds me of why I hate them already and gives me new reasons and incentive to pray for their untimely and violent death!
I saw a news story in the last couple of weeks that illustrates this perfectly. The Woman who is in charge of the U.S. Post Office was being question because she spent a million bucks on these employee self-esteem/team builing retreats where the managers had to do things like, dress up like women and strip and sing caberet songs or something and women dressed like hookers. Now it did make for funny video's from what I saw, but surprisingly this got little play in the press other than a mention or two that I saw. But perhaps the bastards could spend a bit less time in fishnet stockings and more time getting my dam mail to me!! And quit raising the price of the stamp every other week, to fund your transvestite getaways!
Anyway, I think this sort of stuff is exactly why people go off on killing sprees in offices these days. Being forced to "get along" with everyone and overuse of the word team makes anybody angst-filled. I think we had a lot less trouble back in the old days of "there's your desk, sit down do your job and don't bother me with your nonsense".
Not that I have strong feelings about any of this.