Aside from eating rabbit, I think there’s only one thing I’m allergic to: company retreats. Even in elementary school, I found the idea of team-building games — from trust falls to three-legged races — nauseating. But in a professional environment with a group of adults? I cannot understand why a company would spend money and people’s time at such retreats. Of course, there is an entire industry built around these events, which suggests a question: Do they actually work? If you look at the Web sites of the companies that manage retreats, they say the goal is to build communication and cooperation and to improve morale and have fun. These sources go on to highlight that a company retreat wouldn’t be complete without “considerations” like a spa evening or a golf outing. The goal, after spending a considerable amount of money and time, is to “stimulate future productivity by helping your employees reconnect and relax.” Now, I consider myself something of a new age chief executive. Our company prides itself on transparency and accessibility, and we even have a culture of Nerf guns complete with our own chief Nerf gun officer (the C.N.O.). But we are a business, and we come to work to work, not to play or relax. While I am in the business of giving frequent and direct feedback, I am not in the business of giving hugs or focusing on things that don’t drive fundamental and objective productivity. That is not to say that I don’t want all of my colleagues to love their jobs and enjoy their time at the office. Work should be fun, rewarding and enjoyable. It’s what we spend most of our waking lives doing.