Happy Solstice! The longest day and the first day of summer. Many of us are looking forward to company sponsored events now. What can go wrong? Oh friends, this one is a doozy.
A Swiss company had a great bonding idea–walking across hot coals. As reported by the NY Times:
25 employees of a Swiss ad agency were injured Tuesday evening while walking over hot coals in Zurich, officials said. Ten ambulances, two emergency medical teams and police officers from multiple agencies were deployed to help, according to the Zurich police. Thirteen people were briefly hospitalized.
Epic fail–hot coals are for grilling. Not sure how it works in Switzerland, but that would add up to a lot of Workers Comp claims and more than a few lawsuits here. The snickering cannot be measured.
Of course, walking on hot coals is extreme but all company get togethers deserve scrutiny. Choose your activities wisely. Not everyone can or should kayak (that’s personal). If you do plan a kayak event, make sure you have something for the land lovers to do too. No one should feel left out or pressured to do one activity to fit in. Keep the intensity light and the allergy free food coming.
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