The Under-rated Office Picnic

Don't underestimate the under-rated office picnic. If you are an HR Manager or CEO, use the picnic and turn it into a one day offsite retreat. This is what I am doing with one of my clients I work with on a retainership basis. I know it might sound tacky, but I will be organizing the day's events and creating games with certain members of the staff. The games will not only be fun, but they will throw light on office situations in a light humorous way that are not too stressful or threatning. One very useful exercise is to break up the staff into groups and hand them situations to act out in front of everyone. Individual employees will act as their co-workers, boss, subordinates, etc. in office scenes that happen every normal work day. Only this time, the fun role-plays will show the perception of people related to other employees, work processes, and departmental functions. You can always use jokes to tell part of the truth. So try this exercise with your group of people and let me know if it helped break down egos and made others understand just what a good job you're doing for the company!