We’ve survived the dark days of December and the festive season. I enjoy sparkly lights, dressing up, engaging in small talk with colleagues, and drinking cheap wine. For introverts, misanthropes and recovering alcoholics, all those receptions and parties must be overwhelming.
In 2001, I was invited to speak at a conference in Finland. There was a lively discussion following my talk, but my allotted time was up. The chair told the audience that they could pose their remaining questions to me later that evening – in the sauna. A very urbane Frenchman and a much older Englishman from Newcastle were the only other foreigners present. The programme sent prior to the conference didn’t mention saunas, so this came as quite a surprise to us, but not to the Finns. The conference dinner was indeed held in a sauna, with food and drinks but no clothes. Bathrobes were provided for those moments when we weren’t actually in the sauna or the cold plunge pool.
One advantage of getting older is that my line manager and HR have decided it would be a waste of my time and their money to send me to leadership courses, for which I am very grateful. In my time, I have sat in circles, facing in and out, been blindfolded to promote trust, and done more with flipcharts, post-its and random pictures than should be legal. I’ve managed to avoid ‘serious lego’ discussed by Katleen Gabriels last September, and going to the zoo, described in my 2019 column about UM’s inter-species personnel policy.
More recently, members of a research team I work with thought paintballing would be good for our morale. All were aged 25-45, most were men. Apart from the warmongering, this is not an activity suitable for women in their 60s (me) nor anyone averse to physical activity (also me).
Three rules of thumb: Don’t organise activities that require colleagues to be naked. Don’t do anything with colleagues that would be more fun with someone under the age of 10. Don’t engage in anything that simulates or promotes violence – the world is harsh enough.
Sally Wyatt, professor of Digital Cultures (FASoS)