We are having our BioRegional (that’s the charity that The Laundry is a part of) staff day out this Monday. We are going are going on a nature walk by the Thames, which sounds quite exciting- bit worried by mention of ‘waders’s- apparently it’s when the tide is out so we can see all sorts of mud-loving creatures, like those Chinese crabs that have managed to travel all the way here as stowaways. Apparently this is not a good thing, the crabs, much like the grey squirrel before them, seem to be causing havoc with native populations and habitats, and are therefore not welcome. They sound s bit scary- fully grown they are almost the size of a dinner plate and with furry hands (claws?)!

In contrast my friend (who doesn’t work for an environmental charity) has just been flown off to Denmark with her work for some paint balling and drinking of Buff

“The most revolting liquor the world has ever see or tasted. Even I could only manage 1 shot”.  And that is saying something.

It must to be the time of year for team building. My friend Gemma is headed off to my home town this week with her company to stay in the hotel I used to work at! The hotel’s gimmick is peacocks wandering around the grounds, they make these awful noises like someone being strangled. My bro also used to work there in the bar and would get propositioned by rich lady guests of a more mature disposition, dangling their room keys at him. I’m not implying this is what’s going to happen to Gem. I’m sure she’ll be fine.

Seems to me employers have very different ideas about team building. But did you know the concept of team building comes from a study by Professor Elton Mayo (what a name) in the 20s and 30s of workers in a factory in Chicago? The basic gist of his study was to find out what affects the relationship between productivity and work conditions. One of the things he discovered was that if people are made to feel involved and part of a team rather than dictated to, they will perform better and productivity will increase. As you can imagine this is something employers care about and has lead many companies treating team building seriously.

Have you any tales of staff trips or team building adventures to share with us ladies down at The Laundry?

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