Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with team

Why Should You Use Social Networking at Work?

Jaybo — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:06:47 -0800

Many workplaces ban social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and so on. What are some of the reasons workplaces should allow (and even encourage) staff to use social networking sites? I'm particularly interested in the case you would make to someone in the healthcare field but examples that are applicable to other areas, especially those that may ban social networking site for privacy or productivity reasons, are welcome as well.

How do I deal with a lazy employee?

cronholio — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:02:09 -0800

I am a team leader in an IT company. One of the guys in my team is giving me a headache because he turned lazy all of a sudden. He is a very good developer, though very geeky and a bit antisocial, you know the type. He's been on the team for 3 months now and he is one of the key developers in the project we're currently working on. For 4 or 5 weeks now he has been working maybe half as much as before, probably even less. He comes to work very late and leaves early. He surfs the web most of the time. In our company the atmosphere is very relaxed, nobody cares if you don't come in from 9 to 5 or if you play browser games or whatever. What counts is the work that you do. And this guy stopped doing more or less anything. I've had a serious talk with him about the issue and he apologized and said he didn't see it that way, but he would try to improve. Nothing has changed since, if anything, it got worse. I keep reminding him and he seems to be alarmed when I do but other than that doesn't seem to care much. When asked if there is anything about his work that he doesn't enjoy, something that could be improved, he doesn't give me anything.

Now it would be easiest to fire him and it probably won't be long before I do just that, but I was wondering if I could motivate him somehow or try something else to get through to him. As I said, he's one of the most valuable developers and though I don't like him too much personally, I would hate to lose him for the sake of the project.

Name my new Croquet team!

Cosine — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:49:54 -0800

Ideas for name of Croquet team... Need some mefite suggestions for names for my new Croquet team, extra points for puns or just plain dirtyness!

idkfa - do not want!

phredgreen — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:13:17 -0800

I'm fairly noobish to Team Fortress 2, and wanted a place to practice some sniping and heavy action without getting my face blown off by seasoned pros. Some light reading online indicated that there were "achievement servers" - special custom levels set up to practice your skills, so I found one in the serverlist and connected. Once in, another player chatted me to type in !givemeall for more information. What happened was quite jarring. All of a sudden I'm getting nearly every achievement in the roster. Achievements that I was looking forward to working for - boom, there. Every unlockable (except hats), in my backpack. Sounds like a noob's dream come true, but I wanted to earn my goodies, just like everyone else.

I've done some more searching online and the only things I've found were links to apps that I don't much trust, along with dire warnings of being VAC-banned for modding your setup. Beyond that, I joined the forums, but again, all threads about this subject led to little. I have no idea how to directly contact a Moderator or Valve to see if they can correct this issue.

Now I'm kitted up like a champ, but feel like a chump. I'm wondering if anyone here knows of a way to (legitimately) reset their achievements/unlocks themselves or contact Valve and ask them to do so. I feel cheated, and would much rather just reset and then start all of my achievements over again. Any help or suggestions you could offer would be much appreciated.

Souvenirs for project well done?

ajohnson1200 — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:15:23 -0800

Team appreciation / project mementos: just got done with a 6 month long project involving a team of about 30 people. I have somewhere in the range of 10k to 15k to spend on an outing and (suggested by mgmt) some kind of memento. What should I get? I've got the outing planned (day at local pub / mini golf / movie theater / pool hall / restaurant) and I've read this and this. It was suggested by my manager that I procure something for every member of the team, some kind of trinket or memento to remember the project by but I don't want something completely lame. Industry: software.

Team #9 is just too boring!

KateHasQuestions — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:01:46 -0800

Help me come up with a clever name for my volleyball team at work! We're all chemists/biologists working at a pharmaceutical company, so anything clever or funny combining that and volleyball would be great! I just don't want it to be too nerdy, I don't want people to cringe when hearing the name, so general funny volleyball team name suggestions would work too.

Thanks!

Affirmative v. Negative Action

LSK — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:21:05 -0800

Preparing a speech on college affirmative action policies for a debate tournament, could use some help... My debate group was one of eight selected to be in a special tournament. I would like some prior arguments to use to base mine off of. I've read a decent amount of literature on this already (the two relevant supreme court cases, for example), but found no formally presented speeches or formal essays arguing a side. I believe that these would be helpful because they'd give me a sense of what the biggest arguments are. Does anyone know where to find these or have links to any?

(FYI: They're the Motorola-sponsored Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Debates. They're tomorrow. They're available for public viewing. I have arguments prepared, but I see no harm in making them better.)

Where can I find a list of the sales rank of NFL jerseys?

ChasFile — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:05:17 -0800

How would you find a ranked list of professional sportsmens' jersey sales for a particular league during a particular season? For instance, where could you find a ranked list of the sales of NFL players' jerseys for 2007? I've Googled around and found various articles that list the top 20 or 25 in a particular year. That's a start, but really what I'd like is the source that those articles are based on, so I could get all the rankings, not just the top few. I'm as much interested in seeing the worst selling jerseys (spoiler: I know that the worst seller is New Orleans Saints nickelback Randall Gay) as I am in the best. Also, I'm most interested right now in the NFL — given its seasonal relevance — but I'd also be interested in seeing good data for any professional sports league.

They must be pulling that data from a list somewhere, and really what I'm interested in is seeing that list. Is it available anywhere online? Some of those articles list NFLShop.com as the source, but they don't get any more specific than that. I've looked around quite a bit on NFLShop.com but haven't found anything like this data.

I realize that it is proprietary sales data and therefore might not be available, but I feel like enough of those "This Year's Top Selling Jerseys" stories get published each year that the information must be out there, somewhere.

At worst, would it be possible to do this somehow based on, for instance, Amazon.com sales rankings? Is it possible to do a search on Amazon in such a way that it returns all the products in a category (like NFL jerseys, for instance) listed by sales rank?

Are there any other ways to get this kind of data or at least an approximation of it?

Bonus points if that list contains the actual sales figures, in addition to simply the rankings. Again, I realize that since this is proprietary sales data the chances are slim, but you never know. Again, since so many of those "This Year's Top Selling Jerseys" stories get published each year, I thought perhaps the data might be out there.

Where can I play soccer in Southern Cal?

sirhensley — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:38:23 -0800

I would like to find a place where I can play soccer in the San Fernando Valley. I have searched google many times and have only found one league that plays in Griffith Park I believe. That is too far... Please help me find a place close to home where I can play (ideally on a weekly basis). I am trying to find a place where I can play soccer on a regular basis in the San Fernando Valley (Chatsworth, Northridge, Granada Hills area). Ideally, this would be as a member of a team/leaue. Unfortunately, I have never really played soccer before, so starting with an advanced team is not an ideal option. That said, I am fairly athletic and generally pick up new skills quite quickly so I worry that a beginner league would bore me by mid-season.

A brief background: I played football, basketball and tennis throughout my youth and into high school. I ran track and cross country in college after which I played some semi-pro football (dont let the name fool you, it's more like post-high school football) and played in a couple of hockey leagues. When I joined my first hockey team it was a level 2 out of 5 (5 being highest). I had never played on a hockey team before and was one of the worst people on the team the first couple of weeks. By the end of the season I was one of the best. I generally get immersed in my sport and anticipate I will do the same with soccer.

I would like to find a team where I can be forced to improve my skills rapidly and be a decent player by mid-season. I would be happy with a co-ed, or play-for-fun league if a more competitive league is not an option.

Are there any leagues that play primarily in the Valley? If not, is there a good place that I could go to hop into a game and play?

Please help me find a place to learn & enjoy the game while getting a good workout.

Name our team of bankers!

smitt — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:51:52 -0800

Help me name my sales team! We've launched a friendly competition among various salespeople in our district, and need to come up with team names. We have been teamed across branches (I am teamed with sales people throughout the region)

I'm not very original, so I'm probing the hive mind for some ideas!

1) We're BANKERS (selling financial products in local branches)
2) Four people on the team, first name initials are E, T, L, and N.
3) It's a SURVIVOR theme, we're having "tribal councils" and the like.
4) The four of us are in branches in towns called Oakville, Milton, and Georgetown.
5) It's a professional environment, so we can't have names that are sexual, offensive, etc.

Thanks hivemind!

Uh...tech pirates?

heavenstobetsy — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:31:41 -0800

Help name my Tech Support Team! I work in a call centre, in an effort to "boost moral" they are asking each team to come up with a name. We are at a loss. We do tech support for a Canadian cellphone carrier and so troubleshoot cellphones, pdas, aircards, etc. Obviously, safe for work is best! Ideas? I should say, that the team name who gets the most votes gets a Wii! Help us out, meFi!

I get sniped whenever I stop to type

lou — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:32:03 -0800

Suggest a good gaming headset? I've been playing Team Fortress 2 on my PC and figured it's about time to invest in a headset with microphone (for better teamwork, etc) but since I have no experience with these things I didn't want to pick one at random and risk shoddy quality or compatibility issues with the game I'm playing. Maybe the hivemind has some ideas? Here's what I'm considering:

- Is it possible to have a headset where I sometimes use the earbuds for sound, and other times have sound come out of my speakers, while I still use the microphone? I really like sound coming out of the speakers when I know it won't piss off the roommates. I don't know if this means detaching the earbuds, or what.
- Bluetooth? Does this mean I can get a headset that will also work with my phone (bonus, not really important). If I go Bluetooth will it come a receiver for my PC (since it doesn't already have one built in) If I do it, range and battery life should be as good as possible.
- Comfort's not really an issue - I don't plan on playing for hours at a time.
- Sound quality should be decent, shouldn't make me hate listening to it.
- Cost - I don't know if I can find the perfect set for less than $50-- unless you know something I don't! Less than $100 is good.

Thanks.

Workmates who ask questions all day

TheManChild2000 — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:39:49 -0800

What are some strategies to cope with direct reports that are in my immediate physical area and who pepper me with questions all day long? I'm struggling with distractions at work and have given up on ever getting a personal space that I could use to somewhat control the physical interruptions. I'm stuck in a bullpen situation with three direct reports who are 2 feet, 4 feet, and 6 feet away. The imbalance of experience is such that these guys have to be able to use me as a resource. The problem is that the questions come at five-minute intervals all day long, and my own work (a lot of writing and strategy) is such that in order to be productive I have to be able to have long stretches of focus.

The only thing I can think of is to tell them to hold their questions until a set time every day, but that seems like kind of a crazy thing to ask. Has anyone been in a similar situation where that was the solution, and it didn't end up making the requestor look like an asshole and make everyone else feel really uncomfortable?

Oh, and wearing headphones has proven to be an almost comically useless technique. Nobody gets the hint.

Help name my Ultimate team!

ChrisManley — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:22:02 -0800

I need ideas for a name for a new Ultimate Frisbee team. Anything goes - but usually names are tied to the sport in some clever way. It's a mixed (men and women) team, playing in Ottawa, consisting mostly of 20 - 30 somethings.

Chicks Before Dicks is too obvious

kidsleepy — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:23:45 -0800

NameMyBlankFilter: Fantasy Baseball Team name, with a girlie twist. I'm the only girl in a fantasy league with a bunch of my guy friends. I need to come up with a hilarious and/or ass-kicking name. References can include the female gender, Yiddish, or the Red Sox. Or none of the above.

I know some people hate these kind of questions, but I'm coming up blank and know the HiveMind can come up with some great answers!

Which Orange Box to Buy for a PS3/Mac User

Doctor Suarez — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 18:54:57 -0800

Which Way to Go on Valve's Orange Box: the PS3, or Apple Boot Camp. A Two-Part Question. I have both a new, powerful Mac and a PS3. I'm salivating over Valve's Orange Box (containing all Half Life 2 content, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.)

Now the trick is, in which format would I purchase the game?

The PS3 version would cost around $60, and while I hear it's a serviceable port, it's supposedly not the best.

The PC version would be $35, but I'd have to finally get a copy of Windows that can recognize all four cores on my Mac Pro. So it'll actually be MORE expensive, but I imagine a better overall experience. Also, this would not be the only use I'll ever have for Boot Camp, just the impetus to start.

So, the main question: Which way would you recommend I go?

Follow up: If Boot Camp, what's the best OS to get for a 4-core system, assuming gaming is the only use.

How do I fire someone without demoralizing the rest of my team?

Anonymous — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 19:07:06 -0800

How do I fire someone without demoralizing the rest of my team? Some background: I work in a call center. I was recently promoted as a team leader, and was assigned to take over a six-month-old team whose leader laterally transferred to a different position. I am new to the account and have never had management experience before, and I feel that the team is quite resistant to my leadership. The company we work for is a large multinational corporation with many rules and guidelines. Their former team leader was very lenient about letting them run willy-nilly against them (constant undertime, overbreaks, bringing in food and electronic gadgets even though they're not allowed, leaving messy desks). I've only been with them for 3 weeks, and I'm struggling to tame the... wilderness. I try to do right by the company and my ethics, and apply things I've been trained for. I exercise my own discretion on most things, and I'm not even that strict, but whenever I try to modify aberrant behavior, they kick and scream or rebel passive-aggressively, and think I'm all about the rules, rules, rules - simply because their former leader never implemented them nor shared the rationale behind them. (My explanations fall on deaf ears since being able to get away with murder before I came along must mean the rules are flexible and I'm not.)

The meat of the matter: While monitoring the team's calls, I accidentally pulled up one which was mysteriously dropped, and for all intents and purposes, it is the greatest mortal sin one could ever commit in a call center. By all applicable guidelines in our handbook, this offense leads to termination. Pretty cut and dry, right? Wrong. In our company, we suspend the employee until further notice while upper management and human resources investigates the matter, and depending on the results, the employee will either get reinstated or dismissed.

Here's where it gets tricky: this particular employee is one of the strong social pillars of the team. They value him, he's got clout. Plus he's gradually been able to start meeting the goals, and is rarely ever late or absent. Terminating him is sure to demoralize the team, and will almost certainly paint me as The Evil Villain in their eyes. It's not going to be pretty. Chaos is certain to ensue. But I can't let it slide; the offense is a grave one. There is no middle ground. Yet it would be unethical to share with the rest of the team exactly why we're suspending, and possibly terminating said employee, firstly because while the matter is being investigated it's confidential, and secondly I wouldn't want to subject him to any further humiliation.

So my question is: how do I fire this guy without demoralizing the rest of the team?

Am I being unreasonable? Am I going about handling the team the wrong way? How do I lead them properly?

My own supervisor has been of little help, so I seek your sagely advice, dear fellow MeFites. I'm dying here. This is a delicate matter, and this will not wendell.

(E-mail is le.peter.principle@gmail.com)

Team Calendar 2.0 ??

jmnugent — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:54:34 -0800

Our team needs a better scheduling/calendar application. (I've created a mockup (see inside) of one desired outcome.) Its a small team (under 10ppl) but we work 24/7 and would like the schedule to be easy to update/modify. There must be some kind of Web2.0/Ajax-ified hotness for this out there somewhere, I'm just not finding it. My team has about 7 members.. and we work on a 24hour clock. Typical shifts are : midnight to 8am.... 8am to 4pm... 4pm to midnight. However adjustments are made on the fly, and we have a variety of meetings/events,etc.

Right now our boss posts the schedule in a spreadsheet/table type of format that is not very easy to read and horrible if you want to cross-reference your shift against other shifts/events.

I'm looking for any suggestions of great scheduling/calendar software we might upgrade to. Online is fine, .. an open-source, in-house application would be better. Below is one mockup idea I came up with (pardon my photoshop skillz)

http://www.aberrantreality.com/askmefi/mockup.jpg

I've done a little initial searching.. and I am finding a slew of online calendaring app's.. but rather than slogging through 25 to 30 websites .. I'd rather know what Mefi'tes think is the best... :P

I want to play on a soccer team!

Maia — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 09:59:16 -0800

How can I find a recreational soccer team to join this fall in the bay area? I'd love to play soccer this fall on a team. I'm a 19 y/o F, and I just want to play for fun - not too competitive. I live in Redwood City, but can get to most of the bay area pretty easily. Any suggestions?

How does a group of people keep its priorities straight?

clearlynuts — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:40:56 -0800

How does a group of people keep its priorities straight? I'm looking for software that a small group can keep a list of tasks. Additionally, I'd like for the list of tasks to be kept in priority order where the priority is set by one or more people. I'd like for the tasks to have unique priorities, so everything can't be most critical. Finally, if this thing could notify the group when the list changes. Does such software exist?

What is a good team outing in Ottawa, Ontario?

Bovine Love — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:11:15 -0800

What are some good "team outings" for a smallish team (10) (where team means corporate) of 20 and 30-somethings in Ottawa, Ontario? It has to be reasonably cross cultural and accessible; this is the usual mix of people that happens in high-tech.

Reviews of Georgia Team Building Event

GrumpyMonkey — Tue, 29 May 2007 08:32:49 -0800

Has anyone around Atlanta participated in the Stone Mountain Corporate Team Building activities? Or been to any other event put on by the InnerWork company? This seems like a fun event for our company to do this summer but the $3,200 price (plus food and park fees) seems a little steep for what they are providing.

Teambuilding industry statistics?

yoga — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:35:07 -0800

Team building industry statistics: how would I go about finding these? I'm looking for typicals like how much is spent, who spends it, what types of activities (lasertag, brainstorming) and how the numbers may have changed since 1990 - in the US, mainly, but elsewhere is also appreciated, as well as any other search terminology. I did find this outdated article from 2001, along with about a brazillion returns on Google for 'teambuilding' and 'team building'. 'Offsites" also yields several returns.

Project manager newbie. Sort of.

lucyleaf — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 07:47:34 -0800

Becoming a Project Manager for web team. Need help. I've worked with this group in various ways for years. Some of us are new, some have worked in the (small, education-focused) organization for years. We've moved from having just one web person (me) to now having a real, official team to address our company's staff requests for our active website.

I've unofficially project managed for a long time, but now it's being made official that I'll be the staffer to take in and process requests for programming, design and content. I'll be the one to meet with staff to get their requests, figure out what they want and then figure out how we'll execute. And then make sure all the projects are bubbling along.

So, now that we're all official and such...

I'm looking for inspiration from successful web teams and web project managers. Where can I find these?

We currently use Bugzilla to handle our projects. It's not really project management software, and I'd like something that meets our needs better. Good places to look?

Any books or good websites out there for inspiration?

Thanks!

My bottles need inspiration!

punkfloyd — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 06:41:06 -0800

I am creating 15 "bottles of inspiration" for a team building event at my company. What is a clever (edible, non-liquid) item to fill the jug with (clear plastic water jug with a two inch opening). One inch gumballs proved to be too difficult to get out and jelly beans will break the bank!