Disasterous Teambuilding Camping Trip

My company bosses, in their infinite wisdom, recently put myself and a group of my workmates on a teambuilding camping trip. The outcome has been two colleagues resigning and one undergoing disciplinary action for gross misconduct.

Although attendance was not compulsory everyone signed up as they were worried that not going would be bad for their careers. There was a packed itinerary including archery, kayaking, climbing and orienteering. But things began to quickly go downhill soon after our arrival.

It was clear that there had been a breakdown in communications as many people had no idea what they were supposed to have brought along. Many people had arrived without sleeping bags and some had even forgotten to bring any good outdoor clothes.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 provided all of the essential 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 colleagues came back from the bar they had clearly had too much to 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. They provided a selection of raw ingredients for our supper including several chickens and a range of vegetables. The menu was clearly not satisfactory for a few of my colleagues who immediately got on the phone to a local pizza delivery service. This was enough to cause the organizers to call a meeting with all of us in order to clarify what was expected of us while we were attending their campsite.

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 arrangement was not popular and several said that they would be going to a hotel. When the organisers pointed out that this was not in the spirit of the teambuilding exercise they became quite aggressive and one even threatened one of the organisers.

The outcome was that several of those who were unhappy with the trip ended up going home. Those of us who stayed had a great time but it was clear that the organisers were not happy with our colleagues.

Hopefully this tale will prompt managers to make certain that they communicate with their team to ensure that everyone buys into the teambuilding activity. Its really important to make certain that everybody knows what is expected of them and what is expected of the exercise.

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