GOOD WEEK . . .
IF YOU’RE decked out in a lifejacket and strapped to an inflatable, count yourself lucky. White-water rafting beats chucking a sponge ball around at a lame corporate games session any day. But however tame the team bonding activity, if you’re whingeing about it, it’s working, reports BusinessWeek (Sept 11). “They can have unintended value,” says Kerry Sulkowicz, a psychoanalyst. “When exercises are nonsensical, for instance, colleagues bond by airing their gripes about them.” So don’t be shy, sound off about how coffee and ball games are a waste of your valuable time. Feel better?
. . . BAD WEEK
DON’T bother investing in suntan lotion and a best beach guide to Thailand if you’re planning to take a gap year between school and university. The Economist (Sept 2) reports that gappers now face the grim reality of having to make ends meet. According to NatWest bank, students graduate with an average debt of £14,779 and many school-leavers choose a working gap year to boost their savings. That’s good news for employers who like graduates able to recognise a photocopier, but bad news for young hedonists who just want to have fun. Best years of your life? Not likely.