Eight reasons why ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ is like your workplace
It’s that time of year again- I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here is back! Whilst the popular show makes great evening entertainment, it also got us thinking about how much it has in common with everyday workplaces, so here are our favourite eight similarities…
- Teamwork- Each series sees a group of strangers thrown together in an intimate camp and faced with a series of challenges to win their food. Many of these challenges require the Celebrities to cooperate with each other and function effectively as a team. If they don’t, they will most likely lose out on meals. Whilst most workplaces do not impose food rations (well none actually, we hope!) they do need great teamwork from staff to be truly successful. This leads nicely onto our second point…
- Goals- In order for any team to function effectively, they need to be working towards common goals. In the case of I’m a Celebrity the most important goal is pretty obvious and instinctive- to eat. Workplace goals are often more complex but it is just as important to ensure that everybody understands their purpose in a wider context so that they can get the most out of their job.
- Long days- Being stuck in the jungle for three weeks can sound quite appealing, but often the Celebrities will complain that it feels much longer than that. Sometimes days in the workplace can drag too, and each hour can feel like two, or even three. We often take a break on such long days and recommend doing a non-work activity for ten minutes to boost energy levels and make you feel more productive.
- Personality Clashes- It happens every year on the show, no matter which Celebrities are on there- people disagree. This is bound to happen in any group of people who spend time together every day, and it doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. Whilst different personalities can clash at times, they can also work brilliantly together. People are different and that means that they have different thoughts, opinions and ideas, which can be really beneficial in the workplace provided everyone has the opportunity to share their thoughts and fair decisions are made with the common goals in mind.
- New arrivals- Each series of I’m a Celebrity sees a few members of the team arrive late. Sometimes this can cause problems amongst the group when they feel like they have bonded with the original team and also for the late arrivals who often feel excluded. New employees can have a similar experience walking in to a close-knit work team, but there is no reason why they should. After all, some jungle-latecomers have ended up getting far in the show, so there is no reason why the newbie can’t be successful at work.
- Competition – Everyone enjoys competition to some degree and when the Celebrities have to compete against each other in teams, the survival instinct kicks in. Competition in the workplace can be healthy, but it’s also important to learn when it’s not appropriate. Competing against another department may increase motivation and productivity in the short term, but ultimately if the stronger department helped the weaker one, the company may benefit more overall.
- Personality hierarchy- The show producers love to stir up trouble in camp by occasionally playing games where they appoint a leader to give out orders to the other Celebrities. This personality hierarchy can work well when people trust that the leader will do a good fair job, but like at work, when people don’t like the boss, it is much harder to follow their instructions.
- Stress- Fortunately whilst the stresses of experiencing the dreaded Bush tucker trials and living amongst clashing personalities and jungle creatures is something most of us will never have to experience, many of us do have to deal with workplace stress. How we deal with it, and how it impacts on our behaviour will have a huge influence on the atmosphere at work.
We think the jungle and the workplace aren’t so different – how about you? We’d love to hear your stories!
