Excessive work retreats

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My first job we had a sign your job is to do whatever your boss tells you as long as it is not illegal, immoral or unethical.

You get paid. Just do it. I once went to a dude ranch in Arizona for a full week during a 100-105 heatwave in Arizona for team building. My wife had a one month old baby at home.

I went and guess what was one of my best experiences ever. 300 of us went. If anything the heat and stuff bonded is. While. Camp was a dead spot cell phones so only could make calls in room.

How is her baby doing these days?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My first job we had a sign your job is to do whatever your boss tells you as long as it is not illegal, immoral or unethical.

You get paid. Just do it. I once went to a dude ranch in Arizona for a full week during a 100-105 heatwave in Arizona for team building. My wife had a one month old baby at home.

I went and guess what was one of my best experiences ever. 300 of us went. If anything the heat and stuff bonded is. While. Camp was a dead spot cell phones so only could make calls in room.

You're the same one that was working two jobs until you were laid off from one, correct?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first job we had a sign your job is to do whatever your boss tells you as long as it is not illegal, immoral or unethical.

You get paid. Just do it. I once went to a dude ranch in Arizona for a full week during a 100-105 heatwave in Arizona for team building. My wife had a one month old baby at home.

I went and guess what was one of my best experiences ever. 300 of us went. If anything the heat and stuff bonded is. While. Camp was a dead spot cell phones so only could make calls in room.

How is her baby doing these days?

She had the baby not me. I just got her pregnant. My trick is I wear socks. Works everytime

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first job we had a sign your job is to do whatever your boss tells you as long as it is not illegal, immoral or unethical.

You get paid. Just do it. I once went to a dude ranch in Arizona for a full week during a 100-105 heatwave in Arizona for team building. My wife had a one month old baby at home.

I went and guess what was one of my best experiences ever. 300 of us went. If anything the heat and stuff bonded is. While. Camp was a dead spot cell phones so only could make calls in room.

You're the same one that was working two jobs until you were laid off from one, correct?

Yep. Sucks I have been doing errands with wife and sleeping in as with only a J1 pretty relaxing. I am interviewing a new J2. I like to get it before severance runs out old J2 and after I get annual bonus J1. Plus at new J2 I need a sign on as this time want to quit J1 but will need cash to exercise options as only have like 60 days to do after quitting. I will overlap jobs a bit for insurance reasons and to hit stock vesting. But this time maybe just a few weeks.

This time timing is Better.

[Anonymous]

OP. In flight to opposite coast. Silver lining: next month’s retreat will actually be local and we’ll be allowed to go home each night! Talking with headhunters but it’s slow going.

[Anonymous]

Is the head of your company someone who hates their family (but has a stay at home spouse and lots of help) and/or someone having an affair? I used to work for a guy who hated his familt so always arranged these things to get away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the head of your company someone who hates their family (but has a stay at home spouse and lots of help) and/or someone having an affair? I used to work for a guy who hated his familt so always arranged these things to get away.

I don’t think so, but honestly wouldn’t know. More good news, however - I somehow got my own bathroom this time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the head of your company someone who hates their family (but has a stay at home spouse and lots of help) and/or someone having an affair? I used to work for a guy who hated his familt so always arranged these things to get away.

I don't get all the travel some insist on. My spouse left a job that insisted on tons of travel. Who wants to be away from their family that much?

To the poster whose wife had a child recently. I hope you get her a nanny to help since you refuse to be an equal parent and I hope after she leaves you, she gets lots of alimony and child support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the head of your company someone who hates their family (but has a stay at home spouse and lots of help) and/or someone having an affair? I used to work for a guy who hated his familt so always arranged these things to get away.

This has been my experience also. People pushing for an excessive # of offsites (and monthy or biweekly has to be excessive by just about any definition) generally fall into at least one of the following categories:

1) They are miserable at home
2) They don't actually do any work, and they hide this by always being on travel. (these people find some other reason to travel for work on the non-offsite weeks).

I knew someone who was a prime example of point 2. Never actually did anything, but always seemed very busy, with out-of-office messages about delayed response to messages. Then internal travel was suspended to control costs, and it became clear just how little this person actually worked.

[Anonymous]

Also, if the organizer of the meeting is insisting that they coordinate hotel rooms for everyone, they may also be holding these meetings just so that they can rack up all the hotel points. Experienced that one too.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand how this is possible. And I often LEAD meetings adjacent to retreats; I am not a person who hates them.

Are these actually longer meetings of executive groups, and the CEO just likes having them in nice locations? (Even so...). Or the CEO is dying and has no family and wants to hang out with paid friends?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure how I'm supposed to get any real work done when I'm on a retreat one week out of every four/five. I'm also jealous of my staff who doesn't have to go to these things!

I'm sure your staff is jealous that you're jet-setting between coasts every 4-5 weeks while they stay behind and pick up your slack.

Depending on the reason for the retreats, maybe you can suggest that the retreat money/efforts are held/devolved down one level in the company every other time? Would that solve anything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first job we had a sign your job is to do whatever your boss tells you as long as it is not illegal, immoral or unethical.

You get paid. Just do it. I once went to a dude ranch in Arizona for a full week during a 100-105 heatwave in Arizona for team building. My wife had a one month old baby at home.

I went and guess what was one of my best experiences ever. 300 of us went. If anything the heat and stuff bonded is. While. Camp was a dead spot cell phones so only could make calls in room.

You're the same one that was working two jobs until you were laid off from one, correct?

Yep. Sucks I have been doing errands with wife and sleeping in as with only a J1 pretty relaxing. I am interviewing a new J2. I like to get it before severance runs out old J2 and after I get annual bonus J1. Plus at new J2 I need a sign on as this time want to quit J1 but will need cash to exercise options as only have like 60 days to do after quitting. I will overlap jobs a bit for insurance reasons and to hit stock vesting. But this time maybe just a few weeks.

This time timing is Better.

What is all this J1 and J2 you talk about so frequently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how this is possible. And I often LEAD meetings adjacent to retreats; I am not a person who hates them.

Are these actually longer meetings of executive groups, and the CEO just likes having them in nice locations? (Even so...). Or the CEO is dying and has no family and wants to hang out with paid friends?

Some executive group work is being accomplished, so I guess you could call these retreats “longer meetings.” I don’t think the CEO is dying, but definitely likes nice locations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure how I'm supposed to get any real work done when I'm on a retreat one week out of every four/five. I'm also jealous of my staff who doesn't have to go to these things!

I'm sure your staff is jealous that you're jet-setting between coasts every 4-5 weeks while they stay behind and pick up your slack.

Depending on the reason for the retreats, maybe you can suggest that the retreat money/efforts are held/devolved down one level in the company every other time? Would that solve anything?

This unfortunately won’t work. CEO is adamant these trips are for execs only.