Tech Team Traditions?

Antigua Nice asks: "I have recently been promoted to manager of a young IT department and would like to introduce a tradition and/or mascot for the upcoming season. Although we are busy 24/7/365 we are especially busy during the NFL season since we are a sports related company. The goal of this is to add some excitement to the new team, unite the members and keep department moral high. It might also be worth mentioning that I have recently added two more administrators to the team. If you currently have any department traditions or know of any, could you please take a moment to share them with me. They could be anything from going out for beer and wings after the first game to each member bleaching their hair. Any and all input is welcome."

Comments

Re:Maybe it's just me...

[nusratt]

"I am an insultant."

I don't doubt it for a second. ;-)

Holiday Tradition

[tedgyz]

When I was part of a large (~50) engineering group, we just did a few things during the holidays.

For example, at Halloween we dressed up. We also invited the families in to trick or treat door to door. I'll admit, I was a bit scared to see my kids go to some of the more "embedded" geeks - i.e. the office reminded you of their pungent scent.

Christmas / Hannukkah was our biggest event. We had a buffet lunch, which always sparked good conversation about food. With a diverse group from around the world, it was always interesting. Then there was the Yankee swap - a sleeper hit for us. This little gift giving game turned into a serious event. The Dilbert Calender(s) were always top prize. We also had some uber-geeky tech games, like build a paper structure to hold cafeteria trays. Most trays before collapse wins.

Your mileage may vary.

You can't force it

[merlin_jim]

You really can't.

On the flip side my company does throw great teambuilding events.

How do they do it?

It's quarterly. A different business unit picks the venue. The company picks up the tab (there is a budget for this)

The last one we had was end of summer beach party. They bought a bunch of sand and we built sand castles. From 2:00 to 4:00 on a Friday afternoon.

We got to take a break from work for a while and have some fun. There were other entertainments too. Beach balls, food, that sort of thing.

A lot of people just sat around and caught up.

Opening game to the local minor league is a big picnic every year. Attendance is optional. Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Beer, Soft Drinks, Tickets, all provided. Other times we've just played frisbee golf for the afternoon. Yes it went on the timesheet as "company meeting"...

The point being it's kept fun and interesting because different people get to choose the activity every time. Our business units are on the order of 10 - 25 heads so everyone gets a chance to put in some feedback when deciding.