There are many things wrong with the company I work for, but one of the worst has to be the team building “happy hours” my manager schedules at a random restaurant every quarter. While she has never said they’re mandatory, it’s heavily implied that everyone must attend. There are only five of us, and if someone has a scheduling conflict, she re-schedules to ensure everyone can make it. To me, that’s a mandatory meeting.
And we have to pay for it. The company never picks up the tab. Our manager pays with a credit card and then asks the rest of us to Venmo her. I’ve always hated that, but now things are even worse. This Thursday we’re having a “holiday dinner” at an expensive restaurant and exchanging Secret Santa gifts. Again, we weren’t told we HAD to participate, but there is extreme pressure to do so. I literally can’t imagine blowing it off because of how poorly that would reflect on me and how disappointed my manager would be. Saying no is really not an option.
So I’m absolutely furious that my current employer thinks it’s acceptable to force us to spend $50+ during the holidays. I don’t know how I’m going to keep my composure when the bill comes and my manager starts doing Venmo math. Like this raises my blood pressure so fucking much. We shouldn’t have to do this!
My previous employer gave every department a team building budget that managers could allocate at their discretion. Team lunches, happy hours, and activities were always paid for. They weren’t mandatory, either. If someone didn’t go, it wasn’t a big deal.
This is the first time I’ve worked at a place that forces employees to attend AND pay. Please tell me this isn’t normal. My coworkers all seem to think it’s normal. They have no issues with it, and somehow, that makes it even worse.