Team Production with Gift Exchange

In my current job there is more than enough gift exchange happening each day. I work for the Illinois video crew filming the football team's practices and games. Before each practice and game it is necessary to set up the cameras and test them at least an hour before the football team starts practice or a game. There are a variety of cameras that need to be set up, but most of them can be set up within ten minutes and tested within another ten minutes. This usually leaves some spare time before any actual game play and filming. The video crew consists of around twelve workers. Ten of us film on different types of cameras while two of us format SD cards and edit film on the inside and don't actually film. Also, only half of us film the entire practice while the others only film certain parts of practice. And each worker only works six games, including four home games and two away games.

In the video crew each of us cannot make it on time an hour before practice every day to set up cameras because of classes. For example, I am able to get to practice an hour early Tuesday and Thursday, but can only get to practice ten minutes early on Wednesdays. In this situation where someone who films can't make it to practice an hour early to set up their camera someone else will usually set it up for them. I set up and carry people's cameras and equipment on Tuesday and Thursday knowing that someone will do the same for me on Wednesday. Knowing that the person who can't set up their camera can only not do so because of class makes you not feel cheated when setting up their camera. Also, knowing that setting up someone else's camera when they can't and always having someone setting up your camera shows the trust in the video crew. This scenario for my video crew follows the gift exchange model. This is similar to the idea of fairness discussed in the marble's article. Since we know that the one of our crew is only late because of class, something they can't get out of we see it as a reasonable excuse to come to work "late". We are then willing to set up their camera since it is fair and they will pay you back when you are in their situation.

On a different note, on Sunday there is a shift you can volunteer for that is open to two workers. During this shift you are working inside editing and naming film from Saturday's game. Anybody can take this shift, but as it is 9 a.m. on Sunday morning and is unpopular within the video crew. However, it is up for grabs, but must be volunteered for by two people before we leave on the normal last shift Thursday. Usually, it will rotate where since someone has volunteered for that shift a couple times someone else will volunteer for it. This also follows the idea of what's fair. Everyone should have to work the shift an equal number of times and so most people will volunteer for the shift if everyone is unwilling and they have not done it yet. Similarly, there are also times when someone will ask if anyone wants to take their shift for a game because something else came up. Altruism has a big impact on the willingness of a worker to volunteer for someone else's game day shift. Since you feel bad for the person or would want someone to take your shift if you were in that situation usually someone will be willing in the end to take their shift.