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.

Anonymous wrote:Are you in sales OP

No

Are you in sales OP

Anonymous wrote:Do the investors know ceo is wasting money on this nonsense?

Privately owned.

Anonymous wrote:This is a fake post. Nobody is doing this.

I can only wish this were fake, but my company is in fact doing this and it really sucks.

This is a fake post. Nobody is doing this.

Do the investors know ceo is wasting money on this nonsense?

Anonymous wrote:Op geez are you looking for another job? Are you on sales?

Yes, I’m looking, but it’s probably going to take a while to find. White-knuckling it (venting on DCUM helps!) in the meantime.

Op geez are you looking for another job? Are you on sales?

Excessive. Once tor twice a year, fine.

Update: I leave on Sunday for another cross-country retreat. We’re supposed to alternate between coasts/venues, but CEO wants to return to this one again. Individual rooms but shared bathrooms. Kill me now.

Anonymous wrote:What are you doing on the retreats? Why do you think the CEO thinks they are useful? Understanding that would help frame how to suggest a different approach

CEO views “bonding” time as extremely important among senior management (C-suite and SVPs). Ironically, I think the CEO believes these retreats will help *reduce* employee turnover when it’s just the opposite.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. Good news - we're headed home tomorrow (Thursday), a day earlier than originally scheduled. Bad news - the early departure isn't because the CEO saw the light about these unnecessary retreats but because an investor is coming to visit the office Friday morning. Can anyone offer tips on how to very politely and delicately help the CEO actually see the light? As mentioned earlier, I can't afford to lose this job right now.

How receptive would the CEO be to the old "I'd love to come to the retreat but a client has requested a critical meeting that week. It affects X$ of business and I am concerned about pushing back the request." line. At some point some/many of you simply can't afford to peace out for a week at a time.

That would probably work, but only if actually true (as in this Friday’s case). Are you suggesting I deliberately schedule critical meetings during retreat weeks and act like the request came from the other party? I’m pretty sure the CEO would be suspicious, especially if it happened on an ongoing basis.

I'm suggesting all of your co-workers do this. Spread the love.

I'm only half-joking. I don't understand how the leadership team is gone one week of every month without fail without having one or a few people out each time for actual work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. Good news - we're headed home tomorrow (Thursday), a day earlier than originally scheduled. Bad news - the early departure isn't because the CEO saw the light about these unnecessary retreats but because an investor is coming to visit the office Friday morning. Can anyone offer tips on how to very politely and delicately help the CEO actually see the light? As mentioned earlier, I can't afford to lose this job right now.

How receptive would the CEO be to the old "I'd love to come to the retreat but a client has requested a critical meeting that week. It affects X$ of business and I am concerned about pushing back the request." line. At some point some/many of you simply can't afford to peace out for a week at a time.

That would probably work, but only if actually true (as in this Friday’s case). Are you suggesting I deliberately schedule critical meetings during retreat weeks and act like the request came from the other party? I’m pretty sure the CEO would be suspicious, especially if it happened on an ongoing basis.

What are you doing on the retreats? Why do you think the CEO thinks they are useful? Understanding that would help frame how to suggest a different approach