ROMHC: Nice place to work, but I wouldn’t want to socialize there!

I had the pleasure of attending a wedding during the summer with an ROHCG retiree who had devoted decades of work to the organization. She was also an icon of the ROHCG social circuit that existed in those days.

“The place isn’t the same anymore. Nobody cares about each other. The place has lost its spirit.” she said.

Still being a member of the home team, I wanted to disagree so badly. “It’s not that bad! There is still a sense of community! Don’t give me that good-ole-days stuff! But unfortunately that was the voice in my head talking. Visually I could only nod my head in agreement. I was part of that social scene in the 80’s and 90’s. The parties were the stuff of legend.

I still hold out the hope that things can change – but every few months that hope takes a hit, and the cancellation of this year’s Christmas Party is just the latest blow. I thought that last year’s party was great fun; awesome band, food, prizes, convenient location, it should have been a momentum builder. It wasn't even close to breaking even.

I don’t have a clue as to why this is the case.
· Are we so burnt out on change we don’t want to spare a single social minute off the corporate clock?
· Has our technical environment so stripped us of person-to-person contact that there simply isn’t enough to bond us for an evening together?
· Is our demographic profile too dominant with old boomers who prefer the comfort of home over most social gatherings?

One thing I do know is that it isn’t from lack of effort in creating social opportunities. The Royal Boosters worked their butts off organizing the event and trying to create the buzz and ticket sales. What a great bunch of people with the unconditional enthusiasm to create a party for us all – only to be denied with such silent pessimism.

I haven’t thrown in the towel. I probably never will. But that’s just me. I just hope when my days are done, I won’t be like my retired friend, bemoaning the good ole days at the ROHCG – but today it seems inevitable.