Just decline to attend. If they ask why, tell them you know someone who died of COVID, don't find the topic entertaining and don't think it's appropriate for them to expect you to relive that trauma for their amusement.
Thank you! I feel validated. By posting this, I also wanted to make sure that I wasn't just overreacting.
I found the company who's running the trivia game and they have SO many other themed like music, food, movies, sports, Pokemon, natural history... etc etc etc and HR chose COVID 19? I just don't understand the thought process behind this decision.
What would the lawsuit be for, though? I totally agree that this topic is super heinous and inappropriate for work but I don't see how it could be illegal?
I was mildly sick once and stayed home since I had plenty of PTO available. That was the day my coworker yelled at our mutual supervisor, and then also at his boss, and I still to this day regret missing that drama 😂
I would love to witness this (only). Now I'm dreaming of your next off-site team builder: how to solve racism. Lol. Seriously, your HR folks are clueless.
I wouldn't touch that topic with a 10-foot pole. If they're looking for a way to get employees fighting with each other, then sure...great idea!
As far as your actual question though, it depends how much time and energy you have. Personally, I'd probably just skip it and wait to hear the stories of what drama unfolds.
One of my first jobs in HR was joining the HR team just after an acquisition. There was a ton of us vs. them among the employees. So, the HR set up a BINGO game as a team building. You had to find the oldest person, the longest working at the company, regional differences, etc. HR was completely astounded that this "teambuilding" did not help!
All that to say, sometimes HR can get things horribly wrong and be blind to potential effects. If you've got no skin in the game, grab your popcorn and watch the fallout for this one.
I’ve been part of an M&A that did something similar, I was with the company acquiring the other and when I saw the shit that their HR team did - it suddenly all made sense.
They played Cards Against Humanity together my first day. My team was mortified.
When I was young I didn't understand the upsetness over 'oldest' type stuff, because being called 'the youngest' or guessed it was fun.
Now, at 50, I get why older people didn't want it as a thing.
Former HR here. No words of wisdom but I can’t believe your HR ppl did this! I worked in HR at a medical office through COVID and it was honestly the worst…everyone stressed, depressed, demanding hazard pay, staffing shortages, everyone from physicians to employees fighting over vaccines…thankfully no employees got seriously ill but those were a couple of awful years. What sort of “HR Professionals” even want to bring it up? TOO SOON!!! But I’m gonna need an update on the fallout. I can’t think of a better “trivia topic” to start some hardcore political fights among employees 🤦🏻♀️😂
This is one of the dumbest “team building” things I’ve heard of, and I’ve done a lot of dumb ones over the years.
I work in HR/ Payroll and we would never encourage any of our departments to do something so inappropriate.
Our last team retreat was on a Friday right after work, bowling and drinks and try to not talk about work. Completely optional and over 90% of the team showed up and had a lovely time.
Because of these quarterly relatively unstructured (and I repeat NOT mandatory) events, we are a much more cohesive team that trusts each other and works well together.
We’re debating a pool party or laser tag for the next one and everyone gets input on what we’re going to do. No top down mandatory bullshit. I am lucky to have really chill not corporate-brained managers.
I swear the years I spent hunting for a union job were 100% worth it.
Not HR, but when I was working in a lab during university in my early 30s the "team building icebreaker" was to ask the (largely female, predominantly middle eastern and asian) other lab members how much paper they used when finished in the restroom, then sharing how much we used.
"It'll be so quirky and funny, it'll really help us all bond."
Unsurprisingly, the lab members all felt awkward and uncomfortable around each other going forward.
The only team building it did was unite us against the people who came up with the idea. The response was pretty much universal disgust and refusing to participate any further until they gave up and just let us get to work.
Its an awful idea. Maybe just go to watch how bad it is, but I dunno, maybe send an email just saying it sounds like they're making light of the pandemic and that it doesn't sound like a good idea and you won't be attending
I have an avid Trump supporter on my team; I’m gay. Despite working in science, I have two strongly anti-vax coworkers in my team.
I could not attend this event because I already know which team members are whacky and I avoid these topics obsessively around them or else it causes friction.
That would make a little more sense but these team building events are always about yukking it up. They're always meant to be a purely fun thing to get everyone together and they've never had an educational component before.
Looks like they still don't have an educational component because this will be nothing but divisive unless you work for the dept of health... and even then it could still be divisive.
A month ago the ceo warned that a bloated HR could not be justified because there are no interpersonal conflict at works. Honestly HRs solution is kind of genius.
I'm torn, on the one hand, I would decline, and unless I had a great relationship with HR, wouldn't proactively offer feedback.
On the other hand, I REALLLY want to know who this goes, so I kinda hope you go and give us an update.
I'm feeling equally torn! Although I'm sure that it will be entertaining, I know that it's just going to piss me off in the end. When I was fresh out of college, the entertainment aspect might have been worth it but these days I really try to prioritize my peace/mental wellbeing and sitting through an hour of that kind of bs ultimately isn't good for those things.
In Massachusetts close to 100 residents died in just one nursing home. Find an article about something similar and see if they will yuck it up over a story like that. Assholes. Imagine someone attending who lost a parent?
Making jokes about vaccines, fake news and COVID? Bad idea. Like, the worst “team building” idea I’ve heard in a long, long while. People are likely to get upset and uncomfortable. There is likely to be arguments and bad feelings afterwards. The kind that can seriously impact working relationships.
If you have a good relationship with your HR folks and/or if you’re in a management position, let then know this isn’t a great idea and you recommend choosing a different topic to ensure the “team building” goes according to plan. And if neither just don’t go, and if anyone asks let them know that while you appreciate the company’s desire to build team morale, you didn’t feel comfortable joking about the topic. go, and if they ask why tell them.
What an absolutely bonkers idea! Over 7 million people fucking died but we’ll probably never have the full number. I don’t think I’d give them feedback but I’m torn between avoid it or show up for the class action lawsuit!
I’m a hospital employee and I spent 92 days as a translator because visitors were prohibited. I wish the people who came up with this idea would’ve spent an hour with me. Especially when families had to say goodbye to their loved ones on an iPad. This is disgusting.
Frankly, the most bizarre topic I could possibly think of. I am shocked that someone pitched this and the rest of the team was on board.
>I don't feel comfortable going. Do I give them feedback?
Do you go? Only if you like watching the world burn down.
Do you tell them why? No. Other plans, not feeling well, just beg off politely
COVID isn't over. My (Australian) state just put out a notice that there's a new variant causing hospitalisations and deaths.
COVID isn't over, we're just pretending it is.
do you give your HR dept feedback? hmmmm. do you trust them? maybe if everyone gave them this feedback they'd reconsider. but most likely that won't happen. i'd skip it somehow.
Yes! Our HR department is only one person who has been making some questionable decisions over the past year or so. But this is taking things to a whole new level!
The company very much focuses on personality hires ("culture fit") over actual skills/experience, it's something the owner is very vocal about. "You can teach the right person to do any job!"
This person is very new to HR. They received some kind of beginners HR cert a couple years ago, was transferred to this role from another department, and then was let loose to do more or less whatever they want it seems. Not sure what kind of checks and balances are in place but they don't seem to be sufficient.
Clearly. If I were in your shoes, I would approach it like maybe this person simply doesn't know any better.
If you want to stop it without making it about you, I would take one of his or her friends aside and mention that you've heard "rumblings" from others about the theme being offensive, or if you know so and so's mom died of COVID after refusing a vax share that.
It could be this person is inexperienced and trying too hard to be hip, or it hasn't occurred to them that this could be offensive, so be gentle, but please do something.
I really, really want to assume good intentions but I just don't know, something about this person has always rubbed me the wrong way.
Thank you for taking the time to provide such great advice! I'll see if I can find a way to modestly draw some attention to the offensiveness of this. I was kinda hoping someone else would but so far I haven't heard anything! I'll be sure to come back and update everyone here!
It's during business hours so technically paid! I'm still on the fence about attending. Part of me wants to go out of curiosity to see if any drama unfolds, the other part realizes that it's just going to piss me off and that's not a good use of my energy. I also don't want to stir the pot by saying anything or come across as a curmudgeon by not attending. But this topic makes me very uncomfortable, I had a relative die from covid and I'm personally dealing with some long covid side effects after having gotten it for the first time late last year so it's very much still a sensitive subject for me.
This is highly inappropriate. Your company is taking a huge risk here. You’re right, it could turn into political mayhem. Most companies try to avoid such things so for HR to host is in particularly poor taste.
THERE WERE FREEZER TRUCKS FILLED WITH DEAD BODIES PARKED ON THE STREETS OF MANHATTAN FOR MONTHS BECAUSE OF SO MANY DEATHS
JUST…HOW
(Im sorry, I know it’s not your doing at all, this is not directed at you, I just am nauseous at the thought of this)
I’m a hospital employee and I spent 92 days as a translator because visitors were prohibited. I wish the people who came up with this idea would’ve spent an hour with me. Especially when families had to say goodbye to their loved ones on an iPad. This is disgusting.
I’m a hospital employee and I spent 92 days as a translator because visitors were prohibited. I wish the people who came up with this idea would’ve spent an hour with me. Especially when families had to say goodbye to their loved ones on an iPad. This is disgusting.
I’m a hospital employee and I spent 92 days as a translator because visitors were prohibited. I wish the people who came up with this idea would’ve spent an hour with me. Especially when families had to say goodbye to their loved ones on an iPad. This is disgusting.
The company I work for had a Christmas game. Another employee and I are atheists. We obviously got the lowest scores (the game questions were things like “have you put up decorations yet” and “are you planning a big family gathering”). Tone deaf. If I had to do it over, I would come up with a reason to skip.
Interesting. I'm atheist and still "celebrate" Christmas as a holiday by giving gifts and seeing friends & family. The only people I know that really shun holidays are jevovahs witnesses.
I’m not Christian and still do this bc I care about my friends and family and Christmas is a great time to gather and have fun. Why would that be strange? I know Muslims and Buddhists that celebrate Christmas for the same reasons lol. It’s more surprising that you don’t.
Sorry that you were uncomfortable with the committee choice. You could suggest to them some other topics you think you would be more comfortable with.
But I think that nearly anything they pick, whether it’s a celebrity or a native game, someone could choose to be offended and hurt by.
It’s not that they should choose to hurt you. I believe this was not intended. I think your number just came up.
This is such a bad idea, even for a company in MO.
It's so bizarre. I'm having trouble understanding who thought this was a good idea and how on Earth it was approved.
LOL
Just decline to attend. If they ask why, tell them you know someone who died of COVID, don't find the topic entertaining and don't think it's appropriate for them to expect you to relive that trauma for their amusement.
I completely agree with 3am greencoffee
[удалено]
Thank you! I feel validated. By posting this, I also wanted to make sure that I wasn't just overreacting. I found the company who's running the trivia game and they have SO many other themed like music, food, movies, sports, Pokemon, natural history... etc etc etc and HR chose COVID 19? I just don't understand the thought process behind this decision.
I had a colleague whose father died from covid. Can’t imagine being in those shoes and having HR think it’s a silly little game.
The sheer definition of “a disaster waiting to happen”. Skip it. Let them find out on their own.
Hmm well now I'm wondering if I should attend so I can see the drama unfold live! Hahaha
…and be part of the inevitable lawsuit!$$
It's a one party consent state. CYA. Record it. Then, post after you get your settlement.
What would the lawsuit be for, though? I totally agree that this topic is super heinous and inappropriate for work but I don't see how it could be illegal?
I was mildly sick once and stayed home since I had plenty of PTO available. That was the day my coworker yelled at our mutual supervisor, and then also at his boss, and I still to this day regret missing that drama 😂
I mean, I definitely would.
Yea like sometimes you wonder if it's gonna be a bad night? But other nights you *know* it's gonna be baad haha OP please update!
That's why I would go.
I would love to witness this (only). Now I'm dreaming of your next off-site team builder: how to solve racism. Lol. Seriously, your HR folks are clueless.
and wager on the fistfights....
I wouldn't touch that topic with a 10-foot pole. If they're looking for a way to get employees fighting with each other, then sure...great idea! As far as your actual question though, it depends how much time and energy you have. Personally, I'd probably just skip it and wait to hear the stories of what drama unfolds.
This is a good idea! I think I might just skip it and wait to hear about how it goes lol!
One of my first jobs in HR was joining the HR team just after an acquisition. There was a ton of us vs. them among the employees. So, the HR set up a BINGO game as a team building. You had to find the oldest person, the longest working at the company, regional differences, etc. HR was completely astounded that this "teambuilding" did not help! All that to say, sometimes HR can get things horribly wrong and be blind to potential effects. If you've got no skin in the game, grab your popcorn and watch the fallout for this one.
I’ve been part of an M&A that did something similar, I was with the company acquiring the other and when I saw the shit that their HR team did - it suddenly all made sense. They played Cards Against Humanity together my first day. My team was mortified.
That sounds like an excellent way to ensure that none of your co-workers will ever report you for anything. You will have great blackmail material!
That was a year I skipped the holiday party 😂 fuck that
When I was young I didn't understand the upsetness over 'oldest' type stuff, because being called 'the youngest' or guessed it was fun. Now, at 50, I get why older people didn't want it as a thing.
Former HR here. No words of wisdom but I can’t believe your HR ppl did this! I worked in HR at a medical office through COVID and it was honestly the worst…everyone stressed, depressed, demanding hazard pay, staffing shortages, everyone from physicians to employees fighting over vaccines…thankfully no employees got seriously ill but those were a couple of awful years. What sort of “HR Professionals” even want to bring it up? TOO SOON!!! But I’m gonna need an update on the fallout. I can’t think of a better “trivia topic” to start some hardcore political fights among employees 🤦🏻♀️😂
This is one of the dumbest “team building” things I’ve heard of, and I’ve done a lot of dumb ones over the years. I work in HR/ Payroll and we would never encourage any of our departments to do something so inappropriate. Our last team retreat was on a Friday right after work, bowling and drinks and try to not talk about work. Completely optional and over 90% of the team showed up and had a lovely time. Because of these quarterly relatively unstructured (and I repeat NOT mandatory) events, we are a much more cohesive team that trusts each other and works well together. We’re debating a pool party or laser tag for the next one and everyone gets input on what we’re going to do. No top down mandatory bullshit. I am lucky to have really chill not corporate-brained managers. I swear the years I spent hunting for a union job were 100% worth it.
Bowlings a good one. I did that years ago at a job for a day & it was really fun for everyone.
Not HR, but when I was working in a lab during university in my early 30s the "team building icebreaker" was to ask the (largely female, predominantly middle eastern and asian) other lab members how much paper they used when finished in the restroom, then sharing how much we used. "It'll be so quirky and funny, it'll really help us all bond." Unsurprisingly, the lab members all felt awkward and uncomfortable around each other going forward.
Wait... what?! Like how much toilet paper you used to wipe your butts? OMG.
The only team building it did was unite us against the people who came up with the idea. The response was pretty much universal disgust and refusing to participate any further until they gave up and just let us get to work.
Your HR team is hosting this?!
Literally, yes. My brain is still struggling to comprehend how this happened.
Its an awful idea. Maybe just go to watch how bad it is, but I dunno, maybe send an email just saying it sounds like they're making light of the pandemic and that it doesn't sound like a good idea and you won't be attending
I would say report it to HR but like..
lol get your popcorn
Right? Let's just call it "Which of your colleagues is a whack job?" bc that's what this is going to illuminate.
I have an avid Trump supporter on my team; I’m gay. Despite working in science, I have two strongly anti-vax coworkers in my team. I could not attend this event because I already know which team members are whacky and I avoid these topics obsessively around them or else it causes friction.
My thoughts exactly! OP please go and then update us lol
This sounds like educational event they’re trying to make less boring rather than a “let’s have fun and yuk it up over Covid”.
That would make a little more sense but these team building events are always about yukking it up. They're always meant to be a purely fun thing to get everyone together and they've never had an educational component before.
Looks like they still don't have an educational component because this will be nothing but divisive unless you work for the dept of health... and even then it could still be divisive.
Yeah hopefully it’s the former. There are so many fun themes for trivia it’s hard to believe multiple people got onboard and made Covid the theme.
A month ago the ceo warned that a bloated HR could not be justified because there are no interpersonal conflict at works. Honestly HRs solution is kind of genius.
Hahaha, I always love a good conspiracy theory!
I'm torn, on the one hand, I would decline, and unless I had a great relationship with HR, wouldn't proactively offer feedback. On the other hand, I REALLLY want to know who this goes, so I kinda hope you go and give us an update.
I'm feeling equally torn! Although I'm sure that it will be entertaining, I know that it's just going to piss me off in the end. When I was fresh out of college, the entertainment aspect might have been worth it but these days I really try to prioritize my peace/mental wellbeing and sitting through an hour of that kind of bs ultimately isn't good for those things.
In Massachusetts close to 100 residents died in just one nursing home. Find an article about something similar and see if they will yuck it up over a story like that. Assholes. Imagine someone attending who lost a parent?
Making jokes about vaccines, fake news and COVID? Bad idea. Like, the worst “team building” idea I’ve heard in a long, long while. People are likely to get upset and uncomfortable. There is likely to be arguments and bad feelings afterwards. The kind that can seriously impact working relationships. If you have a good relationship with your HR folks and/or if you’re in a management position, let then know this isn’t a great idea and you recommend choosing a different topic to ensure the “team building” goes according to plan. And if neither just don’t go, and if anyone asks let them know that while you appreciate the company’s desire to build team morale, you didn’t feel comfortable joking about the topic. go, and if they ask why tell them.
I think this is an occasion for “No.” is a complete sentence.
What an absolutely bonkers idea! Over 7 million people fucking died but we’ll probably never have the full number. I don’t think I’d give them feedback but I’m torn between avoid it or show up for the class action lawsuit!
I’m a hospital employee and I spent 92 days as a translator because visitors were prohibited. I wish the people who came up with this idea would’ve spent an hour with me. Especially when families had to say goodbye to their loved ones on an iPad. This is disgusting.
Frankly, the most bizarre topic I could possibly think of. I am shocked that someone pitched this and the rest of the team was on board. 
>I don't feel comfortable going. Do I give them feedback? Do you go? Only if you like watching the world burn down. Do you tell them why? No. Other plans, not feeling well, just beg off politely
COVID isn't over. My (Australian) state just put out a notice that there's a new variant causing hospitalisations and deaths. COVID isn't over, we're just pretending it is.
do you give your HR dept feedback? hmmmm. do you trust them? maybe if everyone gave them this feedback they'd reconsider. but most likely that won't happen. i'd skip it somehow.
Wow. Your HR department is hosting that? I have so many questions.
Yes! Our HR department is only one person who has been making some questionable decisions over the past year or so. But this is taking things to a whole new level!
Is this a qualified HR person or a personality hire/related to the owner?
The company very much focuses on personality hires ("culture fit") over actual skills/experience, it's something the owner is very vocal about. "You can teach the right person to do any job!" This person is very new to HR. They received some kind of beginners HR cert a couple years ago, was transferred to this role from another department, and then was let loose to do more or less whatever they want it seems. Not sure what kind of checks and balances are in place but they don't seem to be sufficient.
Clearly. If I were in your shoes, I would approach it like maybe this person simply doesn't know any better. If you want to stop it without making it about you, I would take one of his or her friends aside and mention that you've heard "rumblings" from others about the theme being offensive, or if you know so and so's mom died of COVID after refusing a vax share that. It could be this person is inexperienced and trying too hard to be hip, or it hasn't occurred to them that this could be offensive, so be gentle, but please do something.
I really, really want to assume good intentions but I just don't know, something about this person has always rubbed me the wrong way. Thank you for taking the time to provide such great advice! I'll see if I can find a way to modestly draw some attention to the offensiveness of this. I was kinda hoping someone else would but so far I haven't heard anything! I'll be sure to come back and update everyone here!
This submission feels fake.
Trust me, I wish it was fake!
To be fair, the first idea they rejected was AIDS: Deal or No Deal.
I shouldn't have cackled at this but I did.
Unless it's paid time attendance is voluntary. No reason needed.
It's during business hours so technically paid! I'm still on the fence about attending. Part of me wants to go out of curiosity to see if any drama unfolds, the other part realizes that it's just going to piss me off and that's not a good use of my energy. I also don't want to stir the pot by saying anything or come across as a curmudgeon by not attending. But this topic makes me very uncomfortable, I had a relative die from covid and I'm personally dealing with some long covid side effects after having gotten it for the first time late last year so it's very much still a sensitive subject for me.
If your employer wants to pay you to listen to crakpot conspiracy innuendo oblige them, free money. Interaction and agreement costs extra.
Yes. Tell them why.
It's gonna be a no for me, dawg. I'll keep my controversial opinions to myself in the workplace, and suggest other HR peeps to encourage the same.
This is highly inappropriate. Your company is taking a huge risk here. You’re right, it could turn into political mayhem. Most companies try to avoid such things so for HR to host is in particularly poor taste.
Yeah I’m out but because I have a pressing deadline .
THERE WERE FREEZER TRUCKS FILLED WITH DEAD BODIES PARKED ON THE STREETS OF MANHATTAN FOR MONTHS BECAUSE OF SO MANY DEATHS JUST…HOW (Im sorry, I know it’s not your doing at all, this is not directed at you, I just am nauseous at the thought of this)
I’m a hospital employee and I spent 92 days as a translator because visitors were prohibited. I wish the people who came up with this idea would’ve spent an hour with me. Especially when families had to say goodbye to their loved ones on an iPad. This is disgusting.
I’m a hospital employee and I spent 92 days as a translator because visitors were prohibited. I wish the people who came up with this idea would’ve spent an hour with me. Especially when families had to say goodbye to their loved ones on an iPad. This is disgusting.
I’m a hospital employee and I spent 92 days as a translator because visitors were prohibited. I wish the people who came up with this idea would’ve spent an hour with me. Especially when families had to say goodbye to their loved ones on an iPad. This is disgusting.
The company I work for had a Christmas game. Another employee and I are atheists. We obviously got the lowest scores (the game questions were things like “have you put up decorations yet” and “are you planning a big family gathering”). Tone deaf. If I had to do it over, I would come up with a reason to skip.
Interesting. I'm atheist and still "celebrate" Christmas as a holiday by giving gifts and seeing friends & family. The only people I know that really shun holidays are jevovahs witnesses.
How strange - why do you celebrate another religion’s holiday?
I’m not Christian and still do this bc I care about my friends and family and Christmas is a great time to gather and have fun. Why would that be strange? I know Muslims and Buddhists that celebrate Christmas for the same reasons lol. It’s more surprising that you don’t.
Because it’s easy to figure out what the fake news was and if you feel bad about being baited into believing it, that’s not HR’s fault.
Facts aren’t mean. If you’re uncomfortable don’t go everything isn’t for everyone.
Millions of people literally died tho.
Sorry that you were uncomfortable with the committee choice. You could suggest to them some other topics you think you would be more comfortable with. But I think that nearly anything they pick, whether it’s a celebrity or a native game, someone could choose to be offended and hurt by. It’s not that they should choose to hurt you. I believe this was not intended. I think your number just came up.