Originally published at: Dozens burned after firewalking failure during teambuilding exercise | Boing Boing
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“Hot legs, you can scream and shout…” 
Hey boss, are you sure you know how to do this?
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That’s a big “no thank you” from me. A couple of summers ago I got second degree burns just walking across a beach on a hot day.
I can’t imagine this exercise left the participants with more confidence in their team leaders than they had going in.
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I’ve participated in enough death march projects, thanks no.
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They did learn a valuable lesson on the dangers of groupthink, possibly not the intention of the exercise.
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If only firewalking was the only HR-Culture team-building where people got burned.
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A few years back I stepped on a tiny ember that popped out of the fireplace. Burned right through my sock. The pain and burn scar will stay with me forever.
Hard nope.
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My very first “teambuilding” exercise was in 5th grade, where we went on a retreat and did a “confidence” course with rope climbing and walls and so on. Well, everyone but me. Our group started out with the classic fall-backwards and your teammates catch you, only they didn’t, so I got to spend the day at the hospital with a concussion and multiple stitches. Since then, for obvious reasons, I have avoided any and all teambuilding exercises other than the occasional party, and even reported management to HR when my manager tried to insist once I go on a weekend-long SNAFU-fest that ended up with a couple of cow-orkers quitting and at least one lawsuit. Fun times.
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They clearly lacked the faith/purity/enlightenment required to endure the fire.
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I’ve worked for a number of shitty people that had just enough of a veneer of compassion and groundedness that it was only after the fact that I realized just how abusive and manipulative they were. It must be nice to be in a situation like this where your boss directly signals just how boneheaded and abusive they are. Probably saves a lot of time.
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Why did the exercise stop after thirteen severe (25 total) injuries instead of, say, one? Whose idea was it to keep going?
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They had to keep going because, you know, they’re a team
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A company I was in the process of leaving once asked myself and other employees to volunteer to come in to paint and spruce the place up a bit. I was technically management, and was strongly encouraged to come, as it’d be an example of camaraderie for the good of the company. I said weekends were for me to be with my family, and we really shouldn’t be having unqualified people doing maintenance. My manager tsked tsked me for being negative. He was out the next Monday, still recovering from a laceration to his hand he somehow received hauling trash for the good of the company. This was relayed to me third hand, he or the boss never discussed the matter with me directly.
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I’d love to see one of these where the pit was full of random Lego pieces instead of hot coals. Let’s see your ‘mind over matter’ schtick work on the Danish Destroyer
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From what I’ve read of similar events, people are adrenalized and feel a little tingly burny at the time. If the coals were right, after they brush their feet off, the end result is just feeling a little tingly burning, but if the coals were too hot, or they walked too slowly, they received first or second degree burns, but didn’t really feel it immediately.
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This is one of those dumb stunts that can go okay if you really know what you’re doing and set it up just right. However any of a million things can go wrong and the failure mode is terrible so don’t do it, ever.
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April 4, 2013
Team juice cleanses … nope, nope, nope!
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Was he right handed and lacerated his right hand, so someone else needed to write the memo? Did he lacerate both hands? So many questions this brings up.
Also, don’t walk on hot coals, if you have a choice!
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