We won't be playing games anymore.

[James T. Vader]

So today we had a staff meeting and for the ice breaker my boss passed around pennies. And the thing was the year of the coin, you had to state something that happened to you in your life during that year.

So the first girl to go, goes into this tearful sob fest about how 2002 was her third year in college and she attempted suicide twice.

The next person to go, went on and on about her adopted sister and the girls real dad breaking into the house trying to kidnap his child back and terrorized the family.


Finally at this point my boss stood up and said that this wasn’t what she meant, she said keep it light and fluffy.

Holy crap.

What a downer of a meeting this was.

 

[auntiehill]

Oh my.


I think next time, she should just order pizza for everyone and get right into the meeting.

 

[Scout101]

Yeah, that's kinda lame, paint-by-numbers management games anyway. What's next, Trust falls? If you want people to relax a bit, toss some pizza or donuts on the table, no need for silly games first. That, or just have the big boy meeting as-is and get back to work.

 

[Use of Time]

I know some people feel the need to talk about things and to have someone listen to them, but there is no way on Gods green Earth that I would ever let any of the people I work with have such intimate knowledge from my past. It kind of sucks for the women you mentioned though seeing as they disclosed such personal information expecting the same from everybody else only to have it shut down. I'm sure that made them feel awesome.

 

[thestrangequark]

Is it wrong that I found this kind of funny? I guess I'm a bad person.

 

[auntiehill]

^Well, it does sound a bit like a scene out of The Office.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Is it wrong that I found this kind of funny? I guess I'm a bad person.

I laughed, too, but then I'm an asshole. I dunno what your excuse is!

 

[Timby]

Is it wrong that I found this kind of funny? I guess I'm a bad person.

I have to admit, I had this mental image of the person talking about the dude breaking into the house and terrorizing the family and all that, and after finishing, just stunned silence and the boss is looking like Harris Yulin in Ghostbusters II.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Is it wrong that I found this kind of funny? I guess I'm a bad person.

It reminded me of the Debbie Downer sketches on SNL.

 

[scotpens]

. . . So the first girl to go, goes into this tearful sob fest about how 2002 was her third year in college and she attempted suicide twice.

The next person to go, went on and on about her adopted sister and the girls real dad breaking into the house trying to kidnap his child back and terrorized the family.

Finally at this point my boss stood up and said that this wasn’t what she meant, she said keep it light and fluffy.

What a downer of a meeting this was.

It was a bad idea. I'm sure your boss just meant for everyone to have a little fun, but asking people to disclose personal stuff is . . . well, it's like a box of chocolates.

 

[Melakon]

I was rude to someone in a staff meeting once. We worked a trouble desk for computer problems that other people in the company would call (not the public). We had a woman in the meeting who was whiney all the time and no one liked her. She was complaining about the people in those other offices.

"Sometimes they treat you like you have a brain the size of a pea!"

Silence.

Then I took advantage of the opening. "Well in your case, Wilma..." and didn't finish.

Even the manager laughed, and I didn't get a reprimand. I did apologize as it hurt her feelings.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Oh my.

I think next time, she should just order pizza for everyone and get right into the meeting.

Pizza and some Flintstones chewable Prozac maybe.

And Vader, I'd recommend against dating any girls from your office

 

[Amaris]

Wow. If I were the boss in that situation, I would have taken each of the two ladies aside, in private, and would have recommended a counselor, perhaps one furnished by the company, or some kind of help. No one should have to carry that kind of burden alone.

Also, next time? Pizza and donuts is definitely the right idea.

 

[sojourner]

Hopefully the next time he tries that game he remembers to include the word "positive".

 

[RoJoHen]

Luckily most of my "staff meetings" involve drinking beer and doing shots.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Hopefully the next time he tries that game he remembers to include the word "positive".

Yeah ... it kind of helps to establish a few parameters before opening the floor for comments.

 

[Amaris]

Luckily most of my "staff meetings" involve drinking beer and doing shots.

All of my staff meetings involve sex! Unfortunately, I am a sole proprietorship.

 

[RoJoHen]

Luckily most of my "staff meetings" involve drinking beer and doing shots.

All of my staff meetings involve sex! Unfortunately, I am a sole proprietorship.

Ha!

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Luckily most of my "staff meetings" involve drinking beer and doing shots.

All of my staff meetings involve sex! Unfortunately, I am a sole proprietorship.

Ever thought of going public?

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

With his staff?? He might get arrested.