What's cooking and why
Several days ago the monthly work breakfast was held, an event the work team look forward to because it's a chance to socialise on work time, to interact with others from off-site locations and get a free breakfast at the same time. There's benefit for the company too as it fosters better relationships between individuals and the different departments and because the responsibility for hosting the breakfast rotates between team members it builds unity and teamwork between people that might not necessarily work together in a typical work day.
It was my turn to host it along with two others and that meant a little planning (the two girls did that) for the food based on attendees' dietary needs and number of attendees of course. They went shopping for the stuff and on Thursday morning I arrived a couple hours early to work to help with the breakfast preparation.
I'd decided I'd simply do what I was told by those two girls (safer that way) and ended up, as expected, on barbeque cooking detail.
They did the cutting up of stuff, the fruit platter, as I prepared the barbeque for cooking on. I was cooking bacon and eggs, mushrooms and tomato halves. When it was hot, one of the girls started placing the stuff (under my expert guidance) onto the hotplate as I needed...me, with tongs in one hand and an egg-slice in the other, did the cooking. It all went really smoothly (it's nice to have a side-kick when barbequing) and we ended up filling a platter with the good stuff in no time. I then toasted split English muffins on the hotplate and breakfast was served.
Ok, it wasn't served for me as there was a second round of cooking to do which I got straight into as above, but once done it was time for me to eat and hang out with the rest of the team to socialise. An hour and a half later we all went off to our respective work locations feeling pretty happy (I cleaned the barbeque first and we all cleaned up of course) and the day went on as usual...better than usual I guess because everyone enjoys those work breakfasts.
I know some people don't like this sort of thing in the workplace but I don't mind; it's really quite a positive thing to get the team interacting like that and getting people into a social environment, people who work apart or in different locations, can help them relax and connect so that when work kicks off again people know each other better which is productive for inter-team communication and overall productivity.
Have you ever had such a thing in your workplace and if so was it of a positive benefit or not? Was it simply awkward? Did doing social things like this with the team help people communicate and interact better in the workplace or were people negative about it and uninvested? Did you help or did you sit back and let other's do all the work? Feel free to comment.
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When food is served like that on a plate it looks very delicious and healthy and fresh to be able to enjoy foods like this in the morning.🍻🤝 Greetings for today my brother.
It's important to have nutritional food, and it's nice to make it look good as well.
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It reminds me of many years ago back in 1997, when they had these meetings in Renaware, they offered these massive breakfasts where about 50 people attended. I liked attending because of the pleasant atmosphere and being able to chat with my colleagues. It is always enriching to humanize work. I think these methods need to be put into practice more by companies.
That dish looks very appetizing, it even looks gourmet!
I'm curious, how many people did you prepare breakfast for?
The benefit from a team perspective is huge and it helps that people are engaged, there by choice not because the have to be. Productivity is built on things like this.
There were over 30 people at the breakfast so it was quite hectic, but fun.
This is pretty awesome, I love the concept. I think team building things like this are super important and it's very frustrating and annoying how cultures change. My group I used to work with for many years, they had parties a few times a year as a way to say thank you to the people who worked with them day in and day out.
Restructuring happened and that group was out, and a new, bigger group came in. All of the parties stopped and the only "thank you" we got was a fucking Costco ice cream sandwich. It was such a slap in the face and along with many other changes, completely ruined the atmosphere of the place and the best people left.
If I ever get back to working in an office setting, I will definitely be doing something like this!
Companies and businesses make cut backs in areas like this thinking they're better off but I don't think they are; a happier, more engaged and connected team is always going to outperform the opposite.
The team I work with are pretty good, all friendly and willing to pitch in over and above the minimum and I think that's because of things like this...no Costco ice cream sandwiches in sight!
Oh yes, I like these. They are great to get to know peeps a bit better, or differently than through work. We usually have a Thanksgiving lunch in our office - pretty fun.
If people get involved, engaged, these things can be awesome; of course it's up to management to ensure they back up this stuff day to day and not make it simply an isolated event. I mean, being courteous, friendly, respectful and so on, with the team. We have that environment and it's awesome.
That looks absolutely delicious! Very nice! We have a couple big events like this, but honestly, I don't think they every turn out quite as nice as yours! We have opening day breakfast for all of the staff and then we have a summer school board barbeque. For me, they are always awkward, but I am just socially awkward anyway. I know if probably doesn't seem like it based on our interactions here, but I am kind of a totally different person in real life than I am online. Which is a whole different issue I guess...
We have some socially awkward people too and it's happened in previous roles as well. I think the key to dealing with that is to be very inclusive and respectful; that's not just on management either, but everyone. I'm lucky to have a really great team who are easy to get a long with, happy to be here and to get involved.
That sounds like a great atmosphere. I say I am socially awkward, but it isn't usually something that one or two glasses of whisky can't fix!
Yeah, that's often the case...and a bottle works better huh?
Maybe when I was younger! A bottle would put me out these days!
It's usually nice to have sidekicks XD
We don't regularly do stuff like that at work, mostly because most of us are casuals that work after hours (the office staff are there during normal office hours). Our rough equivalent would be the daily smoko meetings (a few members of the various teams smoke which obviously has to happen outside away from the building and those of us that are there will usually cluster around for a chat which could be work related or could be whatever).
I think a monthly breakfast or lunch sounds pretty cool especially if you're working somewhere full time. Are the people that don't like it introverts and/or heavy compartmentalisers by any chance? :)
I think interaction is better than no interaction and if it's done right even introverts or socially awkward people can be included and made to feel comfortable; I'm pleased to say this is the case with a couple who are that way inclined but it really isn't a problem as the team helps them feel good about it.
It's funny, people whinge and whine about having to interact with others and then in COVID-19 when they couldn't they all cited mental health issues because they couldn't interact with people. Humans are idiots.
I can definitely say that I did not have that problem XD
the mental health issues from not interacting with people as I only like interacting with specific people
Sounds like your team/workplace is willing to put in the effort to make sure everyone is at least somewhat catered for which is good, sadly not everyone is like that.
Oh, under your expert supervision that must have turned out great. It's not good to read about food at 1:33 am... now I have to go stick my nose in the fridge and see what I can find!
I was the worker not the supervisor, I did what I was told by the two girls so I didn't get into trouble! 😁
🤨 I know you're the one on the barbeque.... You and I have that pending. lol. 😄
☝🏻 I was talking about this which made me laugh.
Yeah, I was given temporary charge of the BBQ. They were the bosses though.
I've never been to one where we had to cook the food. But in one of the companies I've been in, the management allocated a budget to teams so that they can have a team lunch every month. It was a nice experience, and people were always excited for it. Some would even plan and look for a good restaurant days before. I do think it helped keep team morale up.
The team cooking the food is to get people interacting with people they may not normally engage much with, and get that happening in a social environment. It works well.
I figured. The only time that happens is when we have team building outings. The team rents a house somewhere, usually with amenities like a pool, billiard, and table tennis, and spend a night or two there. People will then bring food, cook, and bond.
Yep, that's exactly it. I assume there's some benefits for the team and probably for the business as well right?
Definitely. It strengthens teamwork and camaraderie. For the business, I guess happy employees stay longer. But the team outing isn't done every month, it is usually just a once a year thing.
Hi Galen, looking at the delicacy of photography I will tell you that I have never been to breakfast or lunch with the people I share a workplace with something so succulent.
I will tell you that my office is located in a center where there are other offices where other colleagues work. And every Christmas we get together to share a snack-dinner in which each of us brings something from home, such as a bun, cake, omelet, canapés, etc.
We have a nice time, although there are some people I won't see again for a year... It's not a bad experience considering that we are roommates, not co-workers...
.
Do you find it helps people connect and if so does that help productivity?
I've been to many such things which were awkward and uncomfortable so I'm happy to report that the ones at my current job are not at all like that...those one's were unproductive.
I think these types of meetings can be very useful, during the year there is always a patient that you can't see and I think it is important to know the right person to whom you can refer them. On the other hand, I get patients who send me patients who know me better thanks to this type of meeting.
On some occasions I have had problems using my office, for example, a year ago they did construction work on the floor next door and I could not use it because of the noise. At that time they lent me other offices... Anyway, I think these meetings are quite useful. It is also true that we are few people, perhaps with more people I would feel uncomfortable in a meeting of this type.
People, in my opinion, are less connected than ever - I mean true and real connection, not being "friends" on Facebook - and I think that concepts like this, done right, help to close the gaps that exist between people; it's not suitable for all workplaces but I think it has merit.
I am of the same opinion. Real encounters cannot be replaced by virtual ones. the connection cannot be the same. But it is a trend. Since covid almost all the people I see are on-line, and people don't understand how important personal contact is for me, the information that is lost because we don't see each other in person. I don't know, I guess we live in a time where quantity is more important than quality.
It's a great man who can cook a good poached egg! So how many did you cook for?
I don't think any of my motley crew of scallywags and chancers would have turned up for a work breakfast. All of the team-building in my day took place in the pub on pay day.
There was over thirty people and the three of us, the two girls and I, got it all sorted. They did the shopping and chopping and I did all the cooking which was fine by me. It was well-received and I think has raised the bar for the next three who will have to sort out the next breakfast.
We do other things at work, axe throwing last month which I posted about, and this month there's a formal (industry) gala to attend...I'll be getting full suit on for that one, should be fun although I don't love those things after years of having to go. Still, I have to represent huh?
Over 30? That's some undertaking! I think I'd've served cornflakes:)
Back in the day we voluntarily started to bring snacks to work on Fridays for our team. It was a nice little touch to the end of the week and some extra dopamine boost, as it was exciting to find out what kind of snacks someone had brought, or the joy of surprising colleagues with something interesting and fresh.
Since it was a completely voluntary thing a few issues popped up. Like, only some team members would bring the snacks, and others would only partake in the eating aspect of the whole thing. Or some Fridays 3 people would bring something at the same time, while other Fridays no one would.
This is where the Team Lead decided to step in to regulate the whole thing and made it mandatory, with a schedule and everything, and, honestly it just soured the whole thing entirely..
~Josie~
I suppose people have different experiences with things like this. I'm not sure why management stepping in would ruin something that, to me, sounded like it was a bit sporadic at best. Anyway, thanks for commenting, I appreciate it.
Haha, only someone in the management position would fail to see how making something like that mandatory for everyone would ruin the fun of it. xD
You see, we who started it and were the most active in 'providing' were doing it out of pure joy of it, we weren't at all concerned about keeping the tab of who ate how much vs how much they contributed. It was only the Team Leader who thought it was not FAIR!
The difference between voluntary and mandatory is the difference between -
"Oh, it's Friday, I feel like surprising my team mates on a whim with something fun, let me go and grab something from store. ^^ "
and
"Oh, f**k, I forgot it was my turn to do the Snack Duty this Friday, I have to quickly run to the store or the whole team will be angry with ME, specifically. douh"
And that is for those of us, who originally WANTED to do this. Imagine the ones who had little to no interest in the whole thing in the first place, I'd imagine it would go something like - "F**k, again this f*****g bull****t!"
I'm sure some would even question the legality of mandating spending one's own money on the team like that, since it wasn't from the team budget but out of individual pockets.
One thing that's important to remember - you cannot mandate FUN. That's just not how it works and always backfires sooner or later.
~Josie~
That breakfast looks great! Meat for breakfast... I don't usually eat it, I eat very little hahaha but it looks great!
When I was a teacher, I used to organise get-togethers for the students to meet, interact and have a good time, I used to do it some Saturdays of the year, in the afternoon in my garden and I loved organising that event.
It went really well and everyone got to know each other.
When I worked as a sales representative, sometimes the boss would give a breakfast for everyone and we had a great time, coffee and churros, very tasty! The intention was to start the day in a good mood, because the work was too hard. And it worked!
It is an excellent technique to make the employees feel at ease and to motivate them.
Agreed, it's a good way to create a more harmonious environment and it's fun too.
Besides... it's nice to eat!
Appreciation is always welcome in the work place. The paycheck is nice, but acknowledgement outside of a salary and a thank you go a long way to fostering a cohesive, happy team. So many work places nowadays have stopped hosting these types of events, so I've heard. They just want you to show up, shut up, collect your pay and go home lol.
Your plate looks delicious and I'm wondering what the next team will bring to the table. It will be tough to top this one.
You're right, so many places are stopping this sort of thing and I don't think it's productive for them. It doesn't take much to make a bunch of people feel happy and involved, a little breakfast for instance, and yet saving a few bucks seems a better idea than investing in the team. Dumbasses.
I'm interested to see what the next three do with the breakfast..I'm hopeful they'll put my effort to shame!
That looks Yummy !
Sounds like a nice way to get everyone's day started in a happy direction.
I have never been in charge of feeding large crowds. You may laugh, but it did remind me of when I lived in San Antonio when I was in my 40s and the company had one of those big popcorn machines. Once a month one of the departments would be responsible for getting the corn popper cart to the breakroom and popping enough corn for everyone to have some on the afternoon break. When it was our turn, my office partner and I took our turn. As a small addition to our turn, I had bought some assorted flavored popcorn salts that people could add to theirs if the chose. As simple as that was, nobody else had ever thought to do anything different, so it went over quite well.
I love popcorn from those real poppers as it makes the corn taste just like the kind you get at the movies. Yum !
Now I want a pop corn popper at work!
Actually, I can't eat much, too many carbohydrates, but it sounds good in theory.
The supermarket I often shop at has a whole section of popcorn in it, all flavours, and a big corn popper thing in there. They do this caramel one that smells amazing...none for me though.
I think even small gestures like to mention can go a long way, but so many companies don't bother or make it an awkward this that just makes matters worse than better.
I confess that I have never had shared breakfasts at work, we have done it with other meals sometimes dinners sometimes lunches but never for breakfast.
Lately I have started to have a savory breakfast and it has become the only meal for me that I cannot give up; here in Italy it is customary to have breakfast with sweet foods and there are few who do savory.
What I see in the photo seems delicious to me, are you the creator?😋
As I've said in another comment, there's many of these team building things at my business, all help to create a more cohesive and effective team, and not just breakfasts. I've written about some in my posts, you probably missed them.
Sweet for breakfast isn't something that's done in Australia much, maybe pancakes now and then. I guess, if a person can get away with it from an overall health perspective then fair enough though.
Eh eh actually I have read some and I am recovering some but I don't miss many by now :-)
Yes, in many countries breakfast is salty or mixed, only in Italy is it purely sweet, here it is really rare to see people who eat salty things.
In reality I believe that a salty breakfast, if made with the right foods, is healthier than a sweet one.
In our sector (ICT), we do not have the practice of making breakfast, but...
Once a year we organize a get-together for the entire sector (50+ colleagues), when we hold some competitions around food sampling.
We always have a sector lunch for the New year in the company..
And for every birthday or passing a master's exam or a course, certificate, wedding. the birth of a child, buying an apartment, a car... We prepare food or cakes for each other.
At every breakfast, lunch, dinner, we get to know each other - what we really are, not what we are behind the mask of a business person.
Once a year doesn't sound like enough.
My business has a major (company paid) event each quarter and the monthly breakfasest with the whole team and each team does their own thing every fortnight amongst themselves. It's a good, cohesive team.
Still, once a year is better than none a year right?
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