“Let’s just stick a pin in that one to circle back to later.”

ANY BASE, Anywhere - COVID is over, people are in the office, welcome back to Hell. And now your boss has scheduled everyone for an escape room, doubling down on agony through team building.

There are a lot of similarities between staff meetings and escape rooms. Both involve packing people into a confined space because the boss said so. They also showcase the skills of thinkers, doers, overachieving butt-snorkelers, and natural work shirkers alike. Mentally checking out to your happy place is the only way you’ll survive either forced gathering. But how can you tell where you are once you check back in? Duffel Blog understands, and our experts offer these clues to help you figure out in which circle of Hell you’re currently being tormented.

1. Is the group pursuing a definable goal? Clear goals are the stuff of escape rooms. The purpose of a staff meeting is to staff, and meet, and generate more planning and tasks which require more meetings for staffing. They are perpetual self-licking ice cream cones, available only in the flavors of futility and exasperation.