Study: Most Americans Unhappy at Work. How Will You Respond?

I read a depressing Gawker article last night entitled, “Most Americans Hate their Job.” While not a novel assessment, writer Taylor Berman points to a new Gallup study which shows some startling figures: 52% of respondents were “not engaged” at work, just “going through the motions” 18% were “actively disengaged” (ie: intentionally harming the business somehow)…

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The Worst Mistake You Can Make When Entertaining Really Smart Employees

Last week, the TrivWorks team had the honor of producing a trivia team building activity in Manhattan for the executives of a highly prestigious hedge fund. Partners, senior managers and even the founder himself were present, all in NYC together for a few brief days of meetings, events, and social opportunities – as well as…

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Exclusive: My Interview with Rusty the Red Panda

The Internet is on fire today with the story of “Rusty,” a red panda who has gone missing from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Knowing that I have a good track record of speaking with escaped zoo animals, Rusty reached out to me from his voluntary exile to grant me this exclusive interview:…

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How NOT to Make a New Hire Feel Welcome

Years back, before starting my own NYC team building company, I was an unfocused and unhappy guy, bouncing aimlessly from one entry-level job to the next. I was particularly miserable at a current job when I found a position available somewhere else which really excited me – one where I would get to utilize my…

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TGI Monday!

Readers of this blog are aware that my wife and I recently welcomed our second child, Miles (aka: “TrivWorks Intern No. 2”), and as you might imagine, our world has changed significantly. During the day, things are pretty manageable: while I’m at work, TrivWorks Intern No. 1 is at daycare, and my wife is at…

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A Quick Primer on NYC Corporate Event Entertainment Pricing

I’m following up my most recent blog post on how much NYC team building activities cost to share a quick illustrative story in event entertainment pricing. As described in yesterday’s post, NYC has no shortage of corporate team building offerings and entertainment vendors, with different companies charging different amounts based on their expertise, experience and…

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How Much Do Team Building Activities in NYC Cost?

NYC Team Building Cost When the decision has been made to hold a corporate team building activity, NYC companies are presented with a host of questions which must be answered: What kind of activity should we do? Will it be onsite or offsite? What are our team building goals? When should we do this? But…

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Tune In Today for BEA Twitter Trivia!

BookExpo America (BEA), the leading North American publishing event, opens today in New York City, and it’s a big deal – I had the privilege of attending this massive annual convention many times during my tenure as director of adult education programs at the 92nd Street Y, and if you’re a lover of books like…

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Mohels: For Some Event Vendors, You Just Don’t Go Cheap

My wife and I recently welcomed our new son, Miles Harry Jacobson (aka: “TrivWorks Intern #2), and as such arranged to have him circumcised in the traditional Jewish ceremony known as a bris. This proved to be no easy feat, even for an experienced professional event planner such as myself; according to the rules, the…

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