Work-Life Balance

There's a recent trend with employers to create more of a team-like atmosphere. Gone are the days when you were afraid of your boss and did all you could to avoid interactions with him or her, enter the era where your boss is your friend. No longer will you refer to the person that decides if you walk the unemployment line with a Mr. or Mrs., instead they insist you address the person that didn't give you a raise by their first name.

The reasoning behind this comes from well-funded engagement surveys that indicate if employees are happy and feel like part of a team, they will offer better service to the customer. The predominate method of doing this is team-building exercises.

Extremely high-end companies have been known to send their valued associates to dude ranches where teams will learn to trust one another. Without trusting the entire team, they realize that they won't be able to reach the collective goal. Less budget-friendly shops have had to rely on group lunches and daily outings, which is all well and good.

But I'm still angry!

During a recent staff meeting for my work team, the idea was brought up that we should all have a cook-out on a Saturday evening. Many of the people on the team glowingly spoke of all the fun we could have, the dishes we could bring and the games we could play. Someone even mentioned that the last outing of this nature did wonders for the team, recognizing that we were all family-oriented and had so many similarities.

Not me, I think it's a terrible idea. Sure, my sentiment went over like a lead balloon, but I'm interested in having a job, not being a member of a club. I don't need to be friends with everyone that I work with. As a matter of fact, I think it's foolish to believe that it's an attainable goal. The truth is, as an adult and professional you learn to manage working with people that have vastly different personalities and belief-systems than your own.

And while I think team-building exercises at work are extremely valuable, especially those that advance an employee's professional development, I find it intrusive that a company would schedule my weekend activities.

Forgive me for wanting to be a professional, for wanting to be treated like a professional and treat those I work with as professionals. Forgive me for developing friendships on my own and understanding that there is a identifiable line between my personal life and work life.

In this word of social networking, where our entire identity is thrown into one big bucket, I guess I'm the only one left that appreciates a little work-life balance.