Help me spend my company's money on me

October 15, 2008 8:57 AM

My company has offered to spend $25,000 on 35 people for an activity in February. What do we do?

We're currently working on a big project at my company, and if we meet our target date, our company has ponied up $25,000 to do *something* for us. The target date is January 31st, so it would probably end up being some time in February or March.

Here's the conditons:

-There's 35 of us (or there abouts)
-$25,000
-Mostly male, but there are a few females
-Fairly wide age range
-At least one person in the group isn't very "mobile", and would have a hard time doing something like bungee jumping
-Several people have children
-We're at least starting from Chicago

Suggestions? So far my best suggestion is a 3 day trip to the Carribbean, but the company couldn't afford to bring along spouses if we did that. Other suggestions I've heard: Murder Mystery train trip, pool table/arcade for the office, and cash.

posted by KirTakat to grab bag (23 comments total)

Take everyone to a racetrack and take a lesson how how to drive race cars. Then have a nice dinner in a private room of a restaurant.
posted by rmless at 9:05 AM on October 15, 2008

A few months back, my company did an event at a cooking school. The group was divided into teams and each team cooked and served each course... Even those who did not like to cook enjoyed it..
posted by jff at 9:15 AM on October 15, 2008 [1 favorite]

You could spend $200 per person on some activity or dinner, and still give everyone about $500 cash. That would combine an activity and public recognition along with the cash money that most people would love in January/February.
posted by barnone at 9:22 AM on October 15, 2008 [2 favorites]

pool table/arcade for the office

I'm not convinced this is a good idea, sounds nice but who wants to look like a lazy git by standing around playing?
posted by biffa at 9:27 AM on October 15, 2008

Casino night, with professional dealers and chips, at a snazzy hotel. Finger foods and cocktails. Gives the people with kids a chance to dress up nice, too. Have a raffle and prizes for big chip winners, and make sure you give out a lot of cash prizes or gift certificates or tech stuff.

My spouse's company did this, and it was a blast. Bonus points because the hotel was on the beach and a lot of us also booked rooms at reduced rates so we didn't have to drive.
posted by misha at 9:28 AM on October 15, 2008

pool table/arcade for the office

I'm not convinced this is a good idea, sounds nice but who wants to look like a lazy git by standing around playing?

Also I should have mentioned, we're consultants, so we're rarely at the office as we're usually out at client locations.

So far, really great ideas, thanks for the help!
posted by KirTakat at 9:32 AM on October 15, 2008

I know in this era of job hopping and "letting people go" (no one ever just gets fired anymore, eh?), the whole gold watch thing is old-fashioned, but at 700 dollars a person, they could buy everyone a really nice gift that lasts forever, instead of blowing it on one day of partying.
posted by JaredSeth at 9:42 AM on October 15, 2008

Assuming they wouldn't be willing to just give out the cash, that is.
posted by JaredSeth at 9:42 AM on October 15, 2008

Divide up the funds and give everyone $715. That would boost my moral. With such a diverse group of people you're going to end up doing some lowest common denominator type thing. I went to so many of these things, ranging from 20 people to 2000 people while I worked at MSFT and in every single case I can say, positively, that I would rather have just had my cut of the money. Then me and the few persons I actually worked closely with could go out, get a nice dinner and a beer, and do what we enjoy and still have enough left over to be happy about life.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:43 AM on October 15, 2008 [3 favorites]

JaredSeth's comment about a really nice gift is a good idea too. Just make sure you give everyone the option of which version they want if you get something that isn't gender neutral. E.g., if you get a watch, get ladies and mens versions, but ask people which they want first. Trust me on that one.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:45 AM on October 15, 2008

As far as cash goes, if they decided to give out the money (assuming my grasp of tax laws is correct), everyone wouldn't get the full $715, we'd get about $400. Which is still a nice extra, but the money would technically go a little further if they bought us an actual object.
posted by KirTakat at 10:35 AM on October 15, 2008

How about gift cards for the $700 somewhere like Costco? (Maybe make it $675 and include a years membership?) Would they have to pay tax on that?
posted by cgg at 10:56 AM on October 15, 2008

cgg - I have NO idea.
posted by KirTakat at 11:26 AM on October 15, 2008

If you do an activity, make sure it's either something the kids can participate in, or include some organized babysitting.
posted by Caviar at 11:27 AM on October 15, 2008

OK, if you decide that you absolutely love the idea of taking everyone out to a race track and having them drive, you might want to consider the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Full disclosure: I worked as an intern there once upon a time ago. RPDE is geared more toward entertainment than traditional driving schools and excels at hosting corporate and team-building events (the Ultimate Race Experience is a blast). Your employees could choose whether they wanted to drive, ride or both. There is a lot of pomp and fuss made over each person and everyone usually comes away feeling pretty darned good about their experience. Kids and spouses can come and watch in a special set of bleachers right next to all the action. I think rides for them would be a "small" additional cost (there is an age limit). Souvenirs are also available. RPDE does come to Chicagoland Speedway.

As for mobility, this would be more accommodating than you'd think. One of my most memorable experiences was when we had an elderly woman show up for a ride. We had to help her suit up and lift her into the car. When she got back, she was practically bouncing in her seat and said it was the best experience of her life. Of course, people with certain heart conditions and such will not be able to participate.

It's a lot of fun and a great experience for people lucky enough to do it. That said, if I were an employee of your company, I'd probably prefer the cash!
posted by bristolcat at 11:41 AM on October 15, 2008

A nice lunch and a check.
posted by Craig at 1:05 PM on October 15, 2008

How about sponsering a Habitat house/weekend build? It always feels good to do something for others, and gives you the time to get to know others on your team. There are all levels of activities for volunteers, even those who are not very mobile.
posted by mightshould at 1:55 PM on October 15, 2008 [1 favorite]

gift cards for Costco? only if you assume everyone has a car and ample storage space at home.
posted by Xianny at 1:59 PM on October 15, 2008

You won't get a (decent) 3-day trip to the Caribbean for that money. Trips, basically, are out.

Your best options are (teambuilding activity) + (meal) = $25K.

I'd recommend a cooking school (as noted above) as the best combination of the two. Give leftover money to charity. Driving schools are lots of fun, but your company might have quite reasonable concerns about safety.

The Habitat idea is also spectacular, but probably highly impractical in an Illinois winter.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 2:38 PM on October 15, 2008

If I worked for your company I'd want the cash.
posted by imjustsaying at 3:18 PM on October 15, 2008

Charlie Trotters. Oh yeah!
posted by zpousman at 7:21 PM on October 15, 2008

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I submitted them to my boss, and we'll see what gets chosen.
posted by KirTakat at 7:53 AM on October 16, 2008

FYI, you have to pay taxes on even things, so buying someone a gift card or a watch or whatever doesn't get you around the tax issue.

I definitely like the Habitat idea. If that's not practical in Feb. in Chicago, how about a soup kitchen event? Spend the money on really good food and serve it with flowers and table clothes -- a mid-winter celebration.

Treating the recipients of charity as if they're special, not "deserving," makes them and you feel wonderful. And with the economy the way it is, something like casino night might make people feel hungover afterwards, even if they didn't drink.
posted by Capri at 10:20 AM on October 16, 2008