Because sometimes I feel like a jerk about feeling this way. But dammit. I don’t care if they’re six Saturdays year, or one. I do not want to attend them. The reason being is because, after working 5 days out of a 7 day week, 40 hours a week. Basically, I spend more of my awake life at work with people I don’t even like, than in my home with my husband. I am not going to take kindly to having to spend a Saturday working a booth so some people can grab pens with our logo on it.
I once turned down a rather good work opportunity because I found out this particular office requires employees to attend weekend/after hours events multiple times a month. I ran, not walked, far away from that nonsense.
One of my coworkers, who thinks she’s a supervisor, got irritated at me because I was not available for a small business picnic in the town our office is in that she decided we should participate in. But two very close friends of my husband and I were having their gender reveal party. And they have struggled for years to get pregnant. Sorry, but friends and family come before work. I’m celebrating my friend’s new life that they thought they may not have. Not handing out pamphlets and pens to people I don’t know so that my coworkers can get sales commission…
The thing is, as insurance customer service rep, attending these events will absolutely not benefit me whatsoever. My colleagues who are sales, will. Therefore there is literally no incentive for me to sacrifice any of my days off to be at work mingling with strangers. Plus, I’m an introvert.
Also…time is something that, once it’s gone, you don’t get it back. Time is precious. And we should be spending every bit of it we can with those we love, and using it to decompress. Not with our coworkers. Unless we choose to.