My work have recently introduced the Social Club concept to staff. They have the necessary volunteer committee members to come up with socially inspired ideas for all staffs amusement. A tough assignment, those of you who have previously participated in this type of exercise, will have to admit.
I have found in the past that the old chestnut of 'you can't please all the people all the time' is so very true when it comes to Social Clubs. It is for this very reason that I didn't put my hand up for inclusion in the Social Club, either as a committee member or as a participant at social outings. When you start trying to include everyone in the worlds whims and wants, you end up with such a horrendous compromise that the whole thing looses whatever it was that you started out aiming for!
I feel genuinely bad about not joining in but I know the pitfalls ahead for them.
As a compromise, and to assuage my conscience, I presented the committee with a list of ideas of venues for Xmas functions and social club outings, and my justifications for listing them all, ie price, parking availability, flexibility, standard & level of food etc.
They can take it or leave it. I'm not fazed what they do with it, but I DID think it might be of more interest to blog-readers.
I will cut & paste this next week, after I've worked on it for public consumption.
Sunday, 19 August 2007
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9 comments:
I totally get why you haven't joined the social club Rita, understand your reasoning completely, but sometimes, just being in the company of people you enjoy to be with is enough. As long as you laugh more than you cry, what's the harm. Sometimes I find great company makes up for mediocre food and wine. Only sometimes mind you.
Four great friends and myself have had a monthly dinner date for about 3 years now. Win some, lose some, is how it's turned out, but we always have a laugh, a chat, an escape from the every day. Some of our experiences, we are still getting over, but we still have smiles on our faces and great "remember when we went there" stories.
Just jump in Rita. You might be surprised at how much fun you have. And think of the great stories you'll get to tell us about.
I understand what you're saying Christina. I agree about being with people you enjoy being with. I have a a circle of close friends with whom I share various types of friendship, on various levels, and whom I regularly socialise with.
A work occasion is different. Some of my workmates are fantastic, but others are people I really feel are best left for workday dealings, and let's leave it at that!
I have my Sunday breakfast group who meet every second Sunday and spend way too much time breakfasting, chatting and enjoying ourselves. I have my Thai girls group, who usually do the Friday night food preparation & eating 'thing'. I have my oldest, dearest and closest male friend with whom I share everything while we eat. And the list goes on.
My cancer experience taught me to prioritise. It taught me to shed people in my life that I merely tolerated. It taught me that life is way too short to spend time with people who don't enrich your life in some way.
Many people enrich my life, and I'm sure many more people I've yet to meet will also do so, but there are also many people on earth that I just don't want to spend time with.
This blogsite is a kind of social outlet as well. Through it I have met you, for a starter. We have a relationship of sorts. I love that.
We talk about many matters, but mostly food. That's great. What more could a person ask for?
It certainly makes me happy.
Yes, Rita, I agree on work social clubs. Great in theory but ......
I recall the two past years when our version tried to organise a mid-winter outing (sort of Ausmas thing).
Oh No!
The original number this year dwindled so much it was cancelled.
Three months before all was agreed, even the venue. The venue was furious, it had cleared decks for that night weeks ahead.
As the owners were friend, they didn't ask for a deposit, etc.
I wouldn't be in it for your reasons Rita, too many people pulling in different directions and letting you down.
Cheers, Sir Grumpy
Rita
I don't think it was wise to mention that you have me as your dearest and closest male friend. Those other pathetic specimens in your life may well get jealous and stop taking you out to expensive restaurants.
By the way I hope you will be able to make it over to the opening of my new Melbourne restaurant. I'm counting on you being there.
love
Bob
xxxx
I think you're playing with your Nobu, Bob
I think many of these gatherings should be called Anti-Social Outings, they can be a real pain.
As Grouco once siad, "any club that would have me as a member, I wouldn't join", well, social clubs, are they really social? Or are they a vehicle for bitchiness, maudlin and the exchange of bodily fluids?
In my experience, the only common interest people who work together have is, well, work, and at a stretch, the foooooty!!!
Never like to talk work once I've left the building, and i have an aversion to fooooooty, due to my upbringing in Catholic School in NSW where every single kid "had" to play footy, otherwise you would be flogged, crash tackled, stomped on (all this by the Teachers), then sent onto the field, to "KILL'EM!!!".
But I digress... yes. social clubs, it would be more interesting if there were rules about subject matter,compulsosry invitation on non work colleagues,this doesn't automatically mean, spouses, partners etc, but people who are interesting, someone just out of gaol perhaps? A lost tourist, who knows? the combinations are endless...
Unfortaunately, i work in Hospiatlity, so I see the seedy underbelly of social clubs, talk about acrash course in profiling!!
Rita, don't do it, life is too,too short to squander on people you had no say in spending time with (hmmm, sounds like family, reallly, but I'll save that for another day).
Just watch from a safe distance and laugh as they struggle to enforce frivolity upon others.
'til next time....
Hey Bob - try learning how to spell your own surname first please!
Anon - great play on the nob words! Love it!
Sir G - have missed you - where have you been? The Ausmas thing has been great but, yes, it's hard to get commitment from others who are maybe not as passionate about something as you are. I love the Ausmas concept. I love doing it. But it really is hard to actually get the bodies there to it.
Mr Belligerent - welcome back! Yep, have to agree with you. I love the lot of you, but thank god I can go home at nights, shut my door on the world and forget there is a throbbing city outside full of all manner of humans!
I've been looking after all the flu victims in my extended family, Rita.... I did go missing inaction (!) for a while.
I was the only one to avoid the worst of the flu bug (just a mild bout that went in about a day). So it was dowen to me.
Just shows lots of good food (garlicky) and grog and the bugs don't stand a chance.
Sir Grumpy
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