Just make it simple to keep staff happy
11:52am Tuesday 8th April 2008
SOME years ago, I worked for a Bolton financial services company which organised a management away day.
The first, and most significant "bonding" exercise of the day was a pre-breakfast walk up Rivington Pike, whereupon we were greeted by a table of bacon and sausage sandwiches.
No-one needed to "bond" by performing CPR on their colleagues or sharing an oxygen cylinder, so it was nothing too arduous, and it was certainly a world away from the clichéd rampaging of paintballing fund managers.
But apparently, the team-building exercise of choice is no longer an adrenaline-fuelled activity like white-water rafting or parachute jumping.
Today's corporate giants are opting instead for the more sedate charms of things like cookery courses. So instead of tramping through muddy fields looking embarrassed, employees are relaxing in a cosy kitchen with some nice Chianti and a bit of pork medallion.
You can see why it's catching on, although tensions within a sales team are unlikely to be resolved by giving everyone access to a set of Sabatier knives.
One reason for the growing popularity of cooking courses is that the more adventurous team-building options are about to get a lot more risky.
The Corporate Manslaughter Act, which came into force at the beginning of April, will mean companies become liable for any injuries suffered by their employees while they are throwing themselves across a rope bridge on a work away day.
And then, of course, there is the shift in attitude. Things like paintballing are considered a bit macho and passive-aggressive for our metrosexual day and age, but a creative, people-focused activity such as cooking is much more in tune with modern tastes.
Apparently, it also reflects the new impetus for companies - particularly CEOs - to present a more human face to their staff. There is no quicker way to help staff realise their boss is "one of them" by allowing them to see him or her get flour in their hair.
Company hierarchies dissolve once the CEO is kneading dough or keeping an eye on melting chocolate.
Everyone can get dirty outside, but many people can't cook, plus cookery workshop away days cost a fortune and numbers are always limited.
In Bolton, we are minutes away from some of the finest countryside in the North-west, a team-building resource that is plentiful, allows imagination to roam untrammelled, and is absolutely free.
I know which I'd prefer. Get your disclaimer forms printed and get out there.