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Funny: Corporate teambuilding ad absurdum

Jon

Jon

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a few years ago I was part of a large IT Company that went through a few rounds of layoffs. Sensing that morale was low the company decided to get us all together to hype us up for the new year. It was a bit like this, clearly they spent a fortune, flying everyone to Vegas, Blue man group and Cirque performers on stage and all anyone could discuss outside of "i'd better get my resume together" was "all of this crap is supposed to make us forget they laid off all those people, but its pretty clear that this is costing more than we saved in the layoffs, this is absurd" Very demoralizing
 
Displaced Bama Fan

Displaced Bama Fan

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That was painful. Several years ago, when I was with a subsidiary of a large Scottish owned engineering group ;), they did something similar, but had the corporate leaders dress up in "heavy metal" garb and sing at all of our offices to announce the consolidation of all the subsidiaries. On top of that, they weren't sing heavy metal/hard rock, but pop. It was HORRIBLE, but like Jon said, we all looked at each other said, "better update the resume'."
 
Bamabuzzard

Bamabuzzard

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Jon said:
a few years ago I was part of a large IT Company that went through a few rounds of layoffs. Sensing that morale was low the company decided to get us all together to hype us up for the new year. It was a bit like this, clearly they spent a fortune, flying everyone to Vegas, Blue man group and Cirque performers on stage and all anyone could discuss outside of "i'd better get my resume together" was "all of this crap is supposed to make us forget they laid off all those people, but its pretty clear that this is costing more than we saved in the layoffs, this is absurd" Very demoralizing
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Here's team/morale building for you. When the CEO (owner's son in law) came into town to announce they were closing our local office. He let us know that we would be expected to train the new staff who would be replacing us at the newly located office. In his little "speech" where he was discussing the exit strategy I never heard him mention a severance package. So, being the only one who had the guts to raise their hand and ask, I did. He said "There will not be a severance package." After he said that there were sounds of "grumbling" in the audience. His response was "Life isn't fair sometimes." How's that for incentive to train the new people?
 
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Jon

Jon

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Bamabuzzard said:
Here's team/morale building for you. When the CEO (owner's son in law) come into town to announce they were closing our local office. He let us know that we would be expected to train the new staff who would be replacing us at the newly located office. In his little "speech" where he was discussing the exit strategy I never heard him mention a severance package. So, being the only one who had the guts to raise their hand and ask, I did. He said "There will not be a severance package." After he said that there were sounds of "grumbling" in the audience. His response was "Life isn't fair sometimes." How's that for incentive to train the new people?
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LOL

I had one like that 25 years ago, corporate guy comes in to tell us how great we are doing, how we are contributing to the bottom line and making the company a success despite all the problems the rest of the company is going through, our office is delivering! Oh, but because of all that other trouble they are cutting our pay. Morons. WIthin 6 months the managers of that office had left and set up a competitor that hired everyone there that mattered
 
M

mittman

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Bamabuzzard said:
Here's team/morale building for you. When the CEO (owner's son in law) came into town to announce they were closing our local office. He let us know that we would be expected to train the new staff who would be replacing us at the newly located office. In his little "speech" where he was discussing the exit strategy I never heard him mention a severance package. So, being the only one who had the guts to raise their hand and ask, I did. He said "There will not be a severance package." After he said that there were sounds of "grumbling" in the audience. His response was "Life isn't fair sometimes." How's that for incentive to train the new people?
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A close friend walked directly out of a similar meeting and never set foot in the building again. Of course he had an inkling that something was coming, and had lined up another job. The repercussions were not so severe for him as the others. He had planned on putting in a notice per his contract, but what they were doing wasn't going to fly. They threw a fit and actually tried to sue him. He probably had more knowledge than any three people in his department, and they were going to depend on him the most for the training. Without him they struggled mightily. Just getting himself a good lawyer made them back off.
 
Bamabuzzard

Bamabuzzard

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mittman said:
A close friend walked directly out of a similar meeting and never set foot in the building again. Of course he had an inkling that something was coming, and had lined up another job. The repercussions were not so severe for him as the others. He had planned on putting in a notice per his contract, but what they were doing wasn't going to fly. They threw a fit and actually tried to sue him. He probably had more knowledge than any three people in his department, and they were going to depend on him the most for the training. Without him they struggled mightily. Just getting himself a good lawyer made them back off.
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Trust me, if I'd of had an "inkling" something was up I would have done the same thing. But this was covered up and kept under wraps pretty well. I had no clue.
 
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mittman

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Bamabuzzard said:
Trust me, if I'd of had an "inkling" something was up I would have done the same thing. But this was covered up and kept under wraps pretty well. I had no clue.
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Yup. Most of the people in that situation did not either. He was just lucky I guess. I can't say I would not have stuck around, bit the bullet and did the training to keep money flowing in. Sometimes it costs too much (especially when one has a family to provide for) to be principled.
 
Displaced Bama Fan

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mittman said:
Yup. Most of the people in that situation did not either. He was just lucky I guess. I can't say I would not have stuck around, bit the bullet and did the training to keep money flowing in. Sometimes it costs too much (especially when one has a family to provide for) to be principled.
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Sometimes you stick around to get the recommendation so you can move on to another job as well.
 
seebell

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I have worked --mostly-- by myself for a long time now. My corporate spirit building consists mainly of flexing my muscles in front of a mirror!! :)

My resume, if I had one, would say " Doesn't work well with others'!
 
BamaSC

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It looks like they re-purposed Roger Waters' stage. It's also hard to believe someone though this was a good idea. This is embarrassingly bad.
 
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