The main joy of being freelance/self-employed is that you don’t have to even register any of this crap.

You’re just the bloke that comes in, does stuff, and goes home, while getting paid more than everyone else, so nobody likes you anyway

Its ace!

+1

Don’t think I could ever work with anyone again,

My company pushes the social thing quite hard, but to be honest most people buy into it freely and it works very well. They especially like to involve families. We do a Christmas dinner and also a mid-winter Christmas dinner (southern hemisphere so Christmas is in the summer), usually just a restaurant meal with partners, but sometimes an event like a night a the charity boxing (local business people clobbering each other, plus a local pro having a proper fight in the end. I’m not interested in boxing but it was a fun night out) or a murder-mystery type dinner.

Every second year the offices in the region get together for a weekend, with all family invited, which is about 80% paid for by the company (travel costs too). Lots of social events during the day, drinks and meals in the evenings. Every other year it’s the whole company (about 80 people) again with partners and kids included. It’s generally expected that everyone will go, but there’s no issue if you miss a few. And it’s usually quite fun, most people are happy to go.

My office went out karting a few weeks ago, took off early one Friday to do it then had a couple of beers afterwards. My office manager is a keen mountain biker, as is the other engineer here, so now and again we all knock off early on a Friday and go to the Redwoods 😀

In the past we’ve done 4×4 driving, archery, white-water rafting too.

And we have a table-tennis table in the office, and the three of us in the office and the director who is usually based here are all fairly handy at it. If we’re all here on a Friday then we knock off at 4.30 for beers and very competitive doubles matches. In the heat of a game it’s perfectly acceptable to call the manager or the director all manner of names that wouldn’t go down too well in normal circumstances, which is handy!

I refuse to get involved at all outside of working hours. I have a hard and fast rule that I do not add work colleagues on facebook for example and never meet up outside of work. I have nothing in common bar work with those I work with, have no friends from work. work is work and home is home and I never mix the two

I have nothing in common bar work with those I work with, have no friends from work. work is work and home is home and I never mix the two

Hell of a harsh rule. I’d have to count a lot of great people I have worked with over the years who are good friends. Amazingly we actually had a lot in common from bikes, beer, the great outdoors and living in the same places. It would have been a really dull few years in a new place if I hadn’t spent time getting to know the great people I worked with.

@WillH where do you work in Roto? Sounds like a great Kiwi life there.

I ride with a couple of colleagues but that’s arranged by us not work. Had enough of “being social” working in the public sector. 14 years and i think i went to 2 “events” i always managed to clash them with someting else 😉

I only went to my own leaving speech as it was during work hours, in the same room i was working in & my leaving present was beer 😆

I treat it much like how i treat the “i waved to a cyclist & they didn’t wave back” threads

Just because we both ride bikes work together it doesn’t mean i have to like you

The work/social balance in my world revolves around working Flat Chat Monday through Thursday, then after work beers in one of the bars with a very large group, from not only my work but the other offices around. Healthy and heated debates about specifics ensue, another beer, folks entering/leaving the discussion group then at about 8pm everyone either saunters off to a restaurant or heads home. Fridays in the office is normally very quiet, normally a “mop up” day from all the crap that happened earlier in the week…
But our world is a good world.
I/we get to meet others from other institutions, varying degrees of the same culture, always new people joining and others moving on to something different.. or the same for someone else. Keeping up with what’s going on is interesting, meeting new folks is interesting, seeing off folks to other places is interesting too.
It’s all so volatile and transient in my world.
There is a structure for volunteering within the workplace, most do something at some point but it’s not compulsory, mostly it’s for the local community.. some sort of gardening initiative or painting railings or a community endeavour of some sort.. surprised often at how many work colleagues volunteer for this kind of thing. Most seem to enjoy “doing a little bit” for someone else, and yes it’s obviously a paid day out but still we get all sorts from b-c level board through to interns and folks that have been employed by the same institution for 30yrs ..

But for me it’s all about the Thursday night beers and a bit of networking.

We’re a team of 6 in my office (further 9 colleagues darn souf), and when we are not Bessie Mates, were genuinely get on. We don’t go out of our way to socialise outside of work, but the few times a year we do end up having a meal/coffee/team day/flight together, it’s an absolute giggle. our team day is this week, planning the year ahead and getting creative about new ideas, so we’re all going canoeing and doing the work in our company teepee…
There isn’t any politics, and there isn’t anything false about it – we work hard, get on, and have a pleasant time while we do.

Mike – I have nothing at all in common with the people I work with. I have not a single friend from my entire working life – they are just not my sort of people at all. I get on well with them at work but have no basis for a friendship at all. No shared interests etc.

A sure fire way of telling some one who is shit at their job, ask them what they bring to the office/workplace, they will, without fail, say ‘morale’

Hmmm. When I worked in the City I was often told how I was good for the team and helped with morale 😳

In my new job I think the balance is just right as it is a nice place to be and individuals do appear to take ownership and responsibility. Cake is a nice to have rather than a necessity.

I remember a time when one guy organised a Saturday bike ride. It was promoted by email, with the route. Some of us went. About half-way round we met the MD and two HoDs on their private bike ride.

Because feeling appreciated and part of a team is so important.