Cultish company mandates 'emotional bonding sessions' where employees share their personal trauma: 'Most of the team were crying and hugging'

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

Oct 10, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

Forging personal connections at work is a big part of the job. When you feel comfortable around one another and learn what makes them tick, it's easier to work together. Plus, it makes showing up to work a little less hard when you feel like you know your coworkers. Practices like communal lunches or even corporate retreats emphasize this, through mandated shared time, activities, and bonding. But there's, of course, a line that needn't be crossed in these situations. After all, these are not just your friends, they're your coworkers, bosses, and employees. So you get to decide how intimate it gets. No need to spill all your guts in the name of corporate synergy. It's not worth your energy.

But in the company highlighted in this post, things went a little differently in terms of employee bonding. Read on for the story and decide what you would have done in that situation.