words can't accurately describe the extent to which I would not rather go to an escape room, a murder mystery experience or crazy golf over a boozy lunch or, quite frankly, just a regular lunch - ThreadSky

youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com • 93 days ago

words can't accurately describe the extent to which I would not rather go to an escape room, a murder mystery experience or crazy golf over a boozy lunch or, quite frankly, just a regular lunch

Reposted from James Heale

England really is unrecognisable anymore

Comments

dizzyonaball.bsky.social•93 days ago

I successfully avoided every works do that I didn't actively want to go to. Any mention of Team Building and

thatmarkelliott.bsky.social•93 days ago

In Cambridge, we have a pub with a crazy golf course inside, which seems a reasonable compromise.

richardbrown.bsky.social•93 days ago

I managed to skip the work escape room outing to accompany a friend to a disciplinary hearing. Much more fun all round.

simonsmith.bsky.social•93 days ago

‘People’ are not demanding more. Their bosses are.

benjaminmarks.bsky.social•93 days ago

I won't hang out with my extended family unless booze is involved, I'm definitely not going to be dry around my coworkers.

iain4europe.bsky.social•93 days ago

One of my bosses decided we should all go paintballing as a team building event. Attendance was compulsory.

I didn't attend.

alanchaplin.bsky.social•93 days ago

Were you court martialled?

andrewr.bsky.social•93 days ago

"Can we just go home earlier?"

chantalsavilleygk.bsky.social•93 days ago

I once worked at a company that hosted something similar and to make sure that everybody showed up they basically informed us that if you weren’t coming to the event, then you were required to stay at the office and work. I hated that place.

chantalsavilleygk.bsky.social•93 days ago

Saaame.

shand.bsky.social•93 days ago

All offices are escape rooms.

justtheonetat.bsky.social•93 days ago

Hey corporations, take whatever you would have spent on that, give it to your employees with time off instead. I know how to have a beer or whatever with co-workers, don't need your help.

bigrockbigriver.bsky.social•93 days ago

We're having a 5 hour pajama party at my boss' house this year and... *sigh*

luke10.bsky.social•93 days ago

Have you invited HR?

cjmckeon.bsky.social•93 days ago

Does HR know about this?

youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com•93 days ago

You're having a what

bigrockbigriver.bsky.social•93 days ago

Yeahhh... I had to buy appropriate pajamas 😅

pixieglas.bsky.social•93 days ago

Oh fuck no.

bigrockbigriver.bsky.social•93 days ago

I work for the government (us) 😅

pixieglas.bsky.social•93 days ago

Crikey, that's bleak.

janinegibson.ft.com•93 days ago

three things that are only tolerable after a boozy lunch

davidpattie.bsky.social•93 days ago

Yep- or, even better, a drunk person at the lunch says 'I know let's do some crazy golf', everyone says yes, and five minutes later we've all forgotten.

youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com•93 days ago

yes, v good point

drjennings.bsky.social•93 days ago

Not even then...

nookrat.bsky.social•93 days ago

You mean escape rooms were an option this whole time?

invisibleidiot.bsky.social•93 days ago

Yeah who are these 'people' demanding activities?

alistairsmith.bsky.social•93 days ago

Yes. But in a work environment where not everyone drinks, making it booze-focused feels a bit unwelcoming and blokey. And I say that as a middle-aged Scotsman who likes a drink.

soapachu.bsky.social•93 days ago

A nice meal isn't inherently booze focused, and an escape room isn't particularly inclusive either.

alistairsmith.bsky.social•93 days ago

Agree. But experience suggests that a meal does end up a bit booze focused for those who drink.

soapachu.bsky.social•93 days ago

Can do, doesn't have to. Particularly if it's lunch rather than dinner. Can still be a nice option for a team.

Alternatively just give everyone £50.

dzyrl.bsky.social•92 days ago

A lot of my colleagues are Muslim and/or non-drinkers and we’ve done a few potluck type events in the office. There’s usually some wine and beer available, if it’s at the end of the day. A few people might then go on to a pub. It’s never compulsory and we don’t have a Christmas do.

mitty54.bsky.social•93 days ago

“Oh, I’m busy that day.”

bigmcstu.bsky.social•93 days ago

I once walked out of a job interview because everyone in the office looked like the sort of people who would enjoy 'team building exercises'

josephbloggs01.bsky.social•93 days ago

Or lunchless boozing?

tjrh.uk•93 days ago

We used to call those "Fridays".

sharontabor.bsky.social•93 days ago

It’s my work Christmas party tonight and alcohol will be the only thing that helps me to the other side. Escape rooms have their place and I do enjoy them but I can’t imagine anything worse than being locked it one with my boss. Paintballing on the other hand 🤔

hannahfearn.bsky.social•93 days ago

I had to do a murder mystery once. I thought one of my colleagues was actually going to commit a genuine murder by the end of the day, so furious was she at being put through it 🤣

hannahfearn.bsky.social•93 days ago

Remember this day @rrrebeccaevans.bsky.social ? 😆

rrrebeccaevans.bsky.social•93 days ago

YES

hengymrohebwlad.bsky.social•93 days ago

They might find Kate Atkinson's latest Jackson Brodie tale therapeutic. It's a bit of a shaggy dog story, but full of wit and takes the piss out of the Murder Mystery weekend that features in the final stages of the chase.

https://www.kateatkinson.co.uk/books/death-at-the-sign-of-the-rook/

beantrees.bsky.social•93 days ago

We had one at a work dinner for 100+ about 20 years ago. I think we managed about 10 minutes of it before the senior management realised people just wanted to eat their meal in peace and sent the poor actors home.

seanmacgabhann.bsky.social•93 days ago

Correct headline should be “people expect more BUT get escape rooms, murder mysteries..” etc etc

divyeshm.bsky.social•93 days ago

I just don't get it either. It's like, these activities are usually used as a way to avoid alcohol-influenced lunches/dinners, but like all of these activities usually involve a lot of alcohol? I went to mini golf for adults back in October and there was still a lot of booze around?

muddydwarf.bsky.social•93 days ago

I haven't been to a works Xmas party since the 80's - and I see no reason to start again.

matthewrbnsn.bsky.social•93 days ago

My first job out of Uni in the unreconstructed 90s we went for a boozy pub lunch every Friday. Then they introduced a "Beers and nibbles with Management" from 4pm Friday thing so you could chain them together and have a 4.5 day week followed by a free booze and food start to the weekend.

jessmccabe.bsky.social•93 days ago

Just take everyone to a nice lunch, you’re so right. I’m meant to be going to some kind of game thing this week based on a TV show I’ve never seen

londonlee.bsky.social•93 days ago

Firm I used to work for loved to take everyone paintballing or go-karting. Got in trouble for not going to either

gfrancie.bsky.social•93 days ago

The best option is to give everyone cash and the afternoon off. That is what everyone truly wants.

sandehalynch.com•93 days ago

Yep. Nobody needs team-demotivation sessions.

souptomatosoup.uk•93 days ago

I think it depends on the activities, an opportunity to not have to pretend I like some people while fulfilling social obligations would be welcome.

Something like go carting would be good…

cooraysmith.bsky.social•93 days ago

They all have the whiff of compulsory fun.

t0nyyates.bsky.social•93 days ago

EXACTLY

davidmuttering.bsky.social•93 days ago

People going out of their way to accommodate non-drinkers, but we Grinches can just go to hell.

youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com•93 days ago

again, even if alcohol wasn't an option in any case I'd take a nice lunch over "a murder mystery experience"

hugeaction.bsky.social•93 days ago

I picked my daughter (18) up from her first Christmas party last night. She was completely dumbfounded by it being a murder mystery set up with people drafted in to play characters. She sat next to a guy playing a tiresome Aristo who once dead turned out to be a lovely hairdresser.

hugeaction.bsky.social•93 days ago

It got a bit awkward because he 'died' before dessert and she and the lady on the other side of his place setting split his pudding between them only for him to return out of character and find his pudding gone.
She has another for her other job this evening which promises more booze and dancing.

bethhk.bsky.social•93 days ago

We once did a murder mystery experience as a team building exercise. The miracle is that the murder did not become genuine. Def all hated each other by the end of it!

davidmuttering.bsky.social•93 days ago

Definitely. Non-eaters as well

bendunnell.bsky.social•93 days ago

The “everything must be FUN!!!!” mentality is dreadful. Even worse is the notion that you’re a dullard if you don’t embrace it.

faceofboe.bsky.social•93 days ago

I promise you people do not go out of their way to accommodate non drinkers.

heppy111.bsky.social•93 days ago

Yuck!

hern.bsky.social•93 days ago

Reckon I’m the world’s most escape-room-coded guy to have never done an escape room

alanchaplin.bsky.social•93 days ago

Compulsory fun is awful!

drownedinsound.bsky.social•93 days ago

When you have social anxiety, every room with too many people is an escape room challenge 🙃

dzyrl.bsky.social•93 days ago

I don’t even miss the works Christmas meal/party, which was generally terrible and awkward. Doesn’t seem to be a thing in Belgium. Our personeelsfeest (complete with a speech from the minister) is usually in September.

techpriest.bsky.social•93 days ago

The nicest "Christmas work activity" I've done in recent years was a team that organised for the whole team to go out to a nice Indian restaurant for a big lunch, with some obligatory Christmas crackers

Give me a mango lassi and hot fresh pakoras over an escape room any day of the week

redneeraj.bsky.social•93 days ago

Ours is a Kebab house this time. Biggest consultant turnout for years.

techpriest.bsky.social•93 days ago

This is how it's done 👌👏

shobbrook.bsky.social•93 days ago

As a vegetarian non-drinker, I would rather have fun at Xmas doing something, anything other than eating rubbish food while talking rubbish with my drunk work colleagues.

robparsons.bsky.social•93 days ago

Yup. I'd much rather be at home with a mince pie.

soapachu.bsky.social•93 days ago

Yeah give me an M&S voucher for the value of my share of the activity instead please

paulastell.bsky.social•93 days ago

Boozy office parties were banned by my former company about 25 years ago. @jaheale.bsky.social

alastairmeeks.bsky.social•93 days ago

Doing crazy golf on Monday with booze for our Christmas party. I'll be having a good time.

You lot are all killjoys.

*dons armour*

jonporter.uk•93 days ago

wonder how much of this has to do with people being less friendly with their colleagues in a hybrid/WFH environment, so conversation over food just isn’t as free-flowing as it was?

metaphorqu.bsky.social•93 days ago

One of the best work Xmas dos I went to back in the day was where we got pissed and did silent disco in a restaurant but swapping iPods. 💃🕺🎵🎵

byrobdavies.bsky.social•93 days ago

The tl;dr is basically "companies don't want to be sued for stuff that happened at the Xmas do".

cjayanetti.bsky.social•93 days ago

Only solution is to do sueable stuff in the escape room

jonnelledge.bsky.social•93 days ago

simply do not allow the office scapegoat to escape the room

sianushka.bsky.social•93 days ago

I once went to an escape room for a work do but then after that we had a cocktail making class - truly the worst of both worlds

cjayanetti.bsky.social•93 days ago

Come to think of it, lock whoever organised it in there

cjayanetti.bsky.social•93 days ago

Escape rooms, by definition, do rather lend themselves to that purpose.

Quite possible HR hasn't thought this one through

eliarn.bsky.social•93 days ago

You mean locking ‘frisky frank’ from accounts in a room with all the junior secretaries might not be a good idea?

viviennesoton.bsky.social•93 days ago

If anyone asked me why I wasn’t there I could tell them I escaped.

adhess.bsky.social•93 days ago

Less reputation risk

mattfallaize.bsky.social•93 days ago

Oh God the Organised Fun people have taken over.

raywoodruff.com•93 days ago

Yeah, I mean, cant’t we just all have a 10 minute zoom meeting with tacky sweaters and hats and then go home early instead?

deargodwhatnow.bsky.social•93 days ago

One of the most depressing afternoons of my life was a company zoom Christmas party with activities (£5 allowance per person for snacks)

youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com•93 days ago

jesus christ

deargodwhatnow.bsky.social•93 days ago

In their defence it was covid. But still

oldhobbit.bsky.social•93 days ago

A workplace did a pizza thing back in the Covid days, a voucher code for everyone. It was a faff to collect. I would rather have made myself a toastie.

wallaceme.bsky.social•93 days ago

Child of a seaside town here: Crazy golf is objectively good (and indeed the only acceptable form of golf) but ONLY in the proper format of creaky windmills and concrete estimations of local landmarks, SOLELY at the seaside, and NEVER as a corporate Christmas party or one of these ‘event bars’.

salvey1.bsky.social•93 days ago

This might be the most totally correct statement I've ever seen

wallaceme.bsky.social•93 days ago

👍

youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com•93 days ago

100%

jamesanewton.bsky.social•93 days ago

I can’t help thinking that people wouldn’t want to pivot away from lunch if the standard of the lunches was better. Too often it’s dry turkey, raw vegetables and cooking wine.

mckelvie.bsky.social•92 days ago

Escape Room with mates = yes. Escape Room with work people = please kill me .

alexselbyb.bsky.social•93 days ago

Last year we did pétanque, which was surprisingly convivial. This year we're just going boozing

dirktherabbit.bsky.social•93 days ago

It's painful and one of the things I miss least about office life

oldak.bsky.social•93 days ago

I really don't think employees are making these demands. It's more HR-driven, wanting to avoid alcohol-related HR problems

hengymrohebwlad.bsky.social•93 days ago

"Escape room"? Locked in a room with your colleagues and imagining there's a deadly threat you have to evade? Guys, Covid is still a thing: that's just "another day in the office".

ralucahippie.bsky.social•92 days ago

Low key disagree - I like the fun activities. But matter of taste.

mrmarcoco.bsky.social•93 days ago

What is wrong with just not bothering? I’d rather be at home with family and friends

mattkarger.bsky.social•93 days ago

Office Xmas Lunch is an escape room.

alexvont.bsky.social•92 days ago

I’ve always thought any party can be ruined instantly by someone proposing a game. FFS just drink (optional) and talk like normal people until you’re bored and want to go home

daddyogr3.bsky.social•93 days ago

If work is so dull that lunch becomes a necessary time to wind up, or work is so frantic that such excursions are needed to wind down, I mean…f*** ‘ell.

toddlenrant.bsky.social•93 days ago

Not only that, anything that is offered around Christmas is over-hyped, over-priced, lacking in quality, and generally underwhelming.

harrywinser.com•93 days ago

We've been forced into Secret Santa this year.

A fair few of us aren't exactly happy about it 😬

skippythekangaroo.bsky.social•93 days ago

Costco size box of toilet paper. Everyone needs it, it’s not that expensive, and the size will intrigue people.

brenmcgowan.bsky.social•93 days ago

That should keep HR busy in the New Year.

robhughes260.bsky.social•93 days ago

I hate both. I am so so glad I no longer work in an office.

johnnypixels.bsky.social•93 days ago

I'd consider them, but not with anyone I work with.

kayfourbee.bsky.social•93 days ago

I love all this shit and got really wound up at a company Crystal Maze event by people being CYNICAL and NOT TRYING PROPERLY

dsquareddigest.bsky.social•92 days ago

hurray, someone else has the objectively correct view. the thing about "compulsory fun" is ... it's fun! sorry to all the haters going "oh noo, we are free spirits who much prefer eating a godawful mass catered roast while making awkward small talk with compliance"

mel27.bsky.social•93 days ago

I've always been an introvert and for me there isn't much worse than organised, compulsory 'fun'.

fromtherocks.bsky.social•93 days ago

💯 fond memories of the Schlumberger parties at the Cafe Royale...

scornflakegrrrl.bsky.social•93 days ago

Dunno, we’re normally doing an activity for our winter social, and enjoy it, but also am lucky to work in a brilliant department

johntonks.bsky.social•93 days ago

Yeah, all a bit naff. Nothing wrong with a jaunt to the photo copier! 😂

paulkillick.bsky.social•93 days ago

As a non office worker I have no intention of ever going to a Christmas work party as the only stress & negativity in my life is caused by these people why on Earth do they like I want to socialise with them outside work hours!

illuminatus.bsky.social•93 days ago

Or in my case just not bother at all, and stay at home.

samhufton1.bsky.social•93 days ago

Think if alcohol and dinner were priced acceptably in this country this whole idea of moving away from alcohol only experiences would not have gotten anywhere

67communist.bsky.social•93 days ago

I've been to too many appalling Christmas Office functions. They run the gamut from excruciatingly boring to uncomfortable bullying - I will never attend another.

Queue comments about "mine have always been great" (you're a bore or a bully then, which is it?)

haljak.bsky.social•93 days ago

I wouldn’t go near any of this shit in a million years

qgty.bsky.social•93 days ago

To be honest I'd make my escape early and not go

OTOH I did go a Xmas Do at an aircraft museum (Duxford) and that was great - hours of quiet to look at the exhibits, including the XR-71 which is quite amazing

kerene.bsky.social•93 days ago

Just give me an old fashioned Christmas lunch, in a beige hotel with a post lunch disco with DJ Steve. It's all anyone wants..

mickeyhynes.bsky.social•93 days ago

I prepay the bar tab, tell everyone to get stuck in, wish them a Merry Christmas and leave by 18:30.

deeppurple64.bsky.social•93 days ago

The mere thought….

nigelfletcher.bsky.social•92 days ago

I had a boss once who fancied himself as a right-on, team-motivating model employer. This meant compulsory “fun” outings to escape rooms or bowling once a month. The Christmas do was a cocktail-making session at a bar, at which I had to spend the whole evening awkwardly explaining I don’t drink.

susansmith65.bsky.social•93 days ago

No lunch and thumbscrews frankly. And is it actually legal to play crazy golf WITHOUT having the excuse of a liver-killing lunch?

elrondcupboard.bsky.social•93 days ago

Normalise “You’ve done really well have a day off at full pay”

joshgrant.online•93 days ago

Love Actually got this part right: Christmas party in an art gallery with drinks

lisaharding.bsky.social•93 days ago

A regular lunch cooked for me wins every time. Treating a group of adults (who don’t choose to hang out together) like children with structured play activities is never fun.

baileymcc.bsky.social•93 days ago

This is like when you show up to someone's party and board game people are there - no shade to them but that's an Irish goodbye situation for me

oldhobbit.bsky.social•93 days ago

I hate Christmas, but I can provide enlightenment. Impossible to book an evening dinner in mid-December after June. Lunch is easier to book, but requires a theoretical return to the office, presumably sober. Arranging an event with a team building excuse allows drinking both at lunch and afterwards.

oldhobbit.bsky.social•93 days ago

For a forthcoming event, I am thinking of suggesting board games. I am fond of Fallout Shelter and it is very portable, or Ticket To Ride. Just not Monopoly... Euro style boardgames are more collaborative and don't boot people out before the end.

hopefulinlondon.bsky.social•93 days ago

Had any of those things existed in 1950, I’m sure its workers would have liked to do them too

cheeseford.bsky.social•93 days ago

Escape rooms and axe throwing are my hard nos.

muddydwarf.bsky.social•93 days ago

I'd LOVE an Axe-Throwing works event.
My nickname at work is 'axe murderer' though, after an axe-themed arrest...

katkyns.bsky.social•93 days ago

So I do like an escape room but only with my kids and husband. But I completely understand the dreadful of organised fun.

jayzedbee.bsky.social•93 days ago

I like the people in my job and I like escape rooms. I don't necessarily want to mix both experiences

joannerharris.bsky.social•93 days ago

My best-ever Christmas work outing was when I was living in NZ for a fairly small company. We went to Martinborough near Wellington, had a session at a golf driving range then wine tasting and lunch and rolled home happily sloshed on the train. And it was summer.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply