I work remotely but we have a few onsites every year which I absolutely hate. I didn’t know when I got hired that any travel was required and all the remote roles I had before never required any travel. Being around colleagues and boss in a real life setting makes me anxious and uncomfortable, but I’m ok with it as long as we stick to work topics, but the whole company culture pressures us into social events and sharing our personal lives, which I refuse to do.
I like my job and my colleagues but I absolutely hate the pressure of forced interactions and pressure to share my personal life. I don’t want to talk about what I did over the weekend. I don’t want to tell them about my family or my relationship. I just want to work. Why does it matter who I am or who they are or what we did over the weekend? It is completely inconsequential to the goal of working. It literally does not matter.
I’ve only been working in the US for a few years and this was NEVER a thing in all the years I worked outside the US… the whole “we’re a family” bullshit. We’re not a family. None of us would even be here if we won the lottery. We’re here so we can eat and survive.
It just infuriates me.
This isn’t really a question so much as venting because I already pretty much don’t share anything. But I just hate the pressure I feel to be social and share things and question if they think I’m weird or suspicious for not sharing anything.