Walking on Hot Coals: Good Team Building Activity?

If you don’t think walking on hot coals sounds like a great team-building activity, then you might not be alone. On a corporate retreat in Switzerland, a Zurich-based marketing agency invited its employees to walk barefoot across a stretch of burning coals as part of a team-building exercise. As a result, 25 employees were injured and 13 were hospitalized. If you think this could never happen in the U.S., think again. In 2001, 12 Burger King employees were injured walking over white-hot coals in Miami in an attempt to bolster corporate spirit and promote team bonding.

While walking across fire may seem like a bizarre exercise, it’s not all that uncommon. The ancient religious ritual has gained popularity in recent years as a team-building exercise because it requires a “mind over body” approach.

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