A few months ago, I revisited a favorite book: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. It’s an inspiring book — I believe a few of you picked it up and enjoyed it! It inspired me to write some of my own reviews of everyday things and experiences, and I’m back today with some more. This time, I’m reviewing aspects of office life.
But first, I want to make sure you know about Snail Mail Summer! Starting next month, I’m doing three special print editions of Wishful Working. The sign-up deadline is June 1, so make sure you get on the list if you want stickers and goodies in your mail this summer! Learn more and sign up here.
Okay. It has been almost five years since I last worked a “regular” office job. It’s time to share how I really feel:
Team building exercises
Look, I understand the intention behind team building exercises, and I’ve always tried to be a willing, even enthusiastic, participant. I’m a recovering teacher’s pet and former evangelical youth group kid — I am willing to embrace cringe when asked.
And the cringe level of corporate team building varies wildly. Free team lunches? Sure! Icebreaker questions and trivia games? Fairly tolerable. Scavenger hunts? Ehh… And once we veer into the territory of athletic-adjacent competitions, I would really rather not.
So it’s unfortunate that one of my previous employers held what was essentially an adult version of an elementary school field day, where we were divided into teams to play a number of outdoor games and relays requiring varying levels of coordination and athleticism. I dreaded it for weeks and almost arranged to take PTO that day, but it turned out to be… fine. Even, dare I say, fun(ish)? But I’m glad I don’t have to do it again. I give team building exercises 2 stars. ⭐⭐
Office gossip
Less than a week into my first “big girl” job, I overheard one of my coworkers mutter to their friend about another colleague: “[name] is a worthless piece of shit.” Oh. Okay, then.
Later, I worked for a company that had “We reject drama and gossip” as one of its core values, which meant, of course, that the gossip was better than ever — juicy and secretive. I’m not into creating drama, but I can’t deny that I loved those happy hours where people vented freely and confirmed my suspicions about so-and-so, who was certifiably slacking off (I knew it!). I give office gossip 3 stars. ⭐⭐⭐
Office diet culture
At the end of 2019, I read a book that sparked an ongoing personal obsession with exploring and dismantling our culture’s obsession with thinness. When the pandemic started in March 2020 and I started working from home, I was fully down the rabbit hole. I consumed tons of books and podcasts about diet culture, weight stigma, and related topics.
When I returned to the office in late summer 2021, I found I was shocked by things that were totally normal before:
People openly commenting on other people’s bodies and their own (“I know what you were doing during quarantine — you look great!” “I gotta not be fat anymore.”)
Tons of moral language around food (“I was gonna be good today,” before eating a cookie; “This is dangerous,” when someone brought in treats.)
Bargaining and restriction (“I’m not gonna have a cookie now because I had a bagel earlier.”)
Earning food with exercise (“I’m gonna have to go for a walk later,” after enjoying an ice cream sandwich)
The long break from the office, paired with my shifting beliefs about food and weight, made these “normal” comments sound so grating. Discussions of diet and weight are pervasive and completely socially acceptable, even in professional settings. But I hate it. I give office diet culture 1 star. ⭐
The magic table
My dad coined this phrase to describe the place in his office where delicious treats seem to spontaneously spawn — cake to celebrate a birthday, cookies to celebrate a new hire, donuts to celebrate making it through another week. The magic table can spawn savory items too, like leftover pizza from another team’s meeting or leftover sandwiches from a catered client lunch (the savory items always seem to be leftovers).
Not everyone appreciates the magic table (see: office diet culture). I saw donuts halved, quartered, and slivered by people “trying to be good.” But I appreciated the magic and honored it, and now I miss it. My home does not have a magic table. It has an ordinary table. Any treats that spawn there will have been by my own making (or purchasing). I give the magic table 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
See you next week,
Kara
Out of Office
What I do when I’m not at my desk
Reading: Still listening to Daily Rituals: Women at Work. It’s interesting, but the short vignettes are best enjoyed in short sessions.
Watching: My husband got a break from seeding because it rained, so we watched Project Hail Mary! I’ve been dying to see this but wasn’t able to get to the cinema for it. I loved it! Amaze amaze amaze.
Doing: Thinking about summer travel plans! I have a girls’ trip coming up in June — If you have any recs for Portland, Oregon, let me know 😎
Kara Detwiller is a writer and creative based in small-town Saskatchewan. She specializes in long-form content writing for enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and manufacturing clients. She is also working on her first novel, among other creative pursuits. To connect, reply to this email or find Kara on LinkedIn.
Why Wishful Working? I want to help people thrive in a world obsessed with work and productivity. Together, we’re expanding the definition of productivity, rediscovering life balance, and exploring the many kinds of work that make life possible.
