random thoughts – Day 1,646 – (Thursday) – team building recharge

Every once in a while, a workday gets a much-needed shakeup. Today was one of those once in a while days, and involved a voluntary team building event. Approximately 25 of us from departments and branches throughout the bank gathered in our Community Room. The morning began with a breakfast spread of muffins, bagels, coffee, and juice so we would be sufficiently fueled for what came next.

There were some ice breaker questions in the “Raise your hand if” scenario. If you had done whatever was said, you raised your hand. We filled in the blanks about things like “ever won a prize,” “were in a grammar school play,” “were ever in a talent contest,” and so on. Then people were called on to elaborate. It was fun. The talent contest question revealed we have a lot of singers in our ranks. Like a lot, a lot.

Bagged and ready to go.

After the bonding portion, we moved on to the labor portion of the program. We counted off like in the olden days of gym class, which split up people who naturally gravitated to people they already knew and determined which of five numbered tables we would work at. The teams at each table filled 50 bags with toiletries that would be donated to non-profit organizations. Items included body wash, toothpaste, toothbrush, bar soap, body lotion, foldable comb, and some other items I couldn’t see because they were at the far end of the assembly line for my table.

We blew through the task like we were in a race with a big prize at the end, with "we" being every table. There was no prize, though, and our speed was kind of dumb, because it meant we finished early. Finishing early meant we got to return to our regular work locations earlier. What were we thinking? Seriously, what?

Overall, it was really fun. There are a few people I interact with frequently, and others I rarely get to connect with, and some I’d never met until this morning. It was enlightening. Energizing, even. In the same way that being around a lot of people a lot of the time can drain the life out of me, so can the extended solitude. The team building event was a great way to recharge my depleted social battery. I wonder how long it will last.