You are employed by a large restaurant chain. Your line manager has written to you to ask your opinion on plans for the yearly staff trip in the coming winter. There are two options to choose from and your manager would like feedback on which you think is best. Option A: Take all the employees to a local restaurant with a small charge to each employee. Option B: Have a ‘pot luck’ dinner at the office, where everyone brings a dish that they have bought or prepared.

While

I do see the benefit of having the meal at a local restaurant

this

year, I believe the ‘pot luck’ option is a better choice because there will be more variety, and it will help to build a sense of community. As a multicultural team with people from all age groups, bringing our own dishes would be an excellent way to ensure that there is something for everyone. In

this

way, people would get the chance to try new things and could always fall back on their own dish if they don’t feel adventurous.

For example

, I would love to try some home-cooked Canadian dishes, and some of the staff would be intrigued to taste the food from my region.

In addition

, the idea that everyone contributes something is great for team building.

In other words

, the act of sharing what we have created and discussing the different dishes and cuisines helps to build relationships and trust.

For instance

, everyone has a responsibility to bring something to the table, and

this

strengthens the community spirit as we will all be relying on each other. In summary, whilst eating at a restaurant has its own charms, the ‘potluck’ dinner would strengthen the sense of community and give us all the chance to share our cultures and try something new. Thank you for giving us the chance to get involved in the decision-making process, and I look forward to seeing you at the dinner.