Busy season is a time that many accountants spend all year dreading. They think of the long hours, the difficult conversations with clients and the mountains of work that pile up during the months of January through mid-April. Although many aspects of busy season are unavoidable in public accounting, here at McGladrey, we try to ease the pains of busy season by making time for a little fun.
The Manufacturing, Wholesale and Distribution (MWD) team in the Chicago office certainly knows how to kick back and relieve stress. Each year Karen K., the head of our MWD group, puts together a social event that allows for the audit and tax professionals to mingle and get to know one another better. In the past these annual events have included happy hours and a trivia game.
Their most recent activity was a McGladrey version of Double Dare. The two teams were divided by function and were comprised of four of the new associates and a partner: Tax vs. Audit. A few of the dares that the teams had to complete, as described by Jason S., one of the organizers, were:
1) Hot Dog Catch – One person throws a hot dog across the room to be caught by a fellow team member. The team member catching the hot dog had to catch the projectile by using a hot dog bun. The catcher than hands the hot dog in the bun to a fellow team member who applies ketchup who then hands the hotdog and bun to another team member who applies mustard. The first team to “make” 6 hotdogs won.
2) Transferring juice to a different cup – Each team had to transfer juice from 4 individual cups (one for each team member) to one bigger cup across the room solely using straws. The first team to fill the other cup won the event
3) Silly String Disaster– A team member had to hold a cup with his mouth and have a blind folded team member attempt to fill the cup with silly string from 10 yards away while being blind folded. This event had to be done in 30 seconds.
4) Peanut toss – A blindfolded team member had to toss peanuts into a box about ten yards away that was being help by another blindfolded team member. The other two team members were to coach the individual tossing the peanuts and the catcher without touching them.
3) Silly String Disaster– A team member had to hold a cup with his mouth and have a blind folded team member attempt to fill the cup with silly string from 10 yards away while being blind folded. This event had to be done in 30 seconds.
4) Peanut toss – A blindfolded team member had to toss peanuts into a box about ten yards away that was being help by another blindfolded team member. The other two team members were to coach the individual tossing the peanuts and the catcher without touching them.
There were prizes to be won and it appeared that a lot of fun was had by all. Members of the firm from all levels (including partners) were there to cheer the teams on. It seems that the new associates may have had the most fun though as this event gave them an opportunity to meet many members of the department that they had not yet worked with. The feedback from this Double Dare event was that everyone is looking forward to what is in store for next year! Double Dare is just one small example of our unique culture that makes McGladrey a fun place to work, even during the challenging cycles that seem to personify public accounting.
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