So I work in a small team, a very small team. Needless to say, it propagates a happy family sort of culture which is just red flags all around. You’re expected to be so enthusiastic about your work and all talk centered around work. You have to eat with the team, bond with the team, do every single shit together, save for actually taking a shit.
Anyway, I got called into the office because I did not complete an individual reflection activity after a meeting ended together as a team. Mind you, I did do the reflection, it was an individual task. I just did it in my own hidey hole after we had a 1hr meeting + 1.5h professional development session as a team. I was just maxed out on interactions and if I have to hear another loud ass guffaw over a really inane matter I will scream.
Nobody was making any noise to leave the room, and it was already time to knock off. This is a team that also encourages you to stay back as late as possible to show your “dedication to the team” of course.
So I just made my excuses and left, to which the boss actually said “You are leaving already? When everyone else is still here?” To my back. I did not hear it then but was informed of it the next day by my coworker who was also there.
The next day I got called in as he insisted I was “not focused on the meeting” and “not being part of the team” and “if you did not do your task the learning and development team will ask about it and it will not look good on us”
I was like “so… let me get this straight. I did the individual task, on my own. But I am being called in here because I did not do it together? It’s counted as not done?”
This very incident cemented my decision not to renew my contract with the company even when I do not have anything else lined up. Companies who promote themselves as a family are straight up manipulative and nonsensical. So much gaslighting and mental abuse. Maybe that’s how some families are I guess.