I am so annoyed y'all. I live in the suburb of a major city. My employer is based out of the city and for me to drive there it takes 1 hour and 15 minutes one way, give or take.
Last year they scheduled a “mandatory in peraon lunch so that we can all get to know each other”. I declined and said I lived too far and my boyfriend uses the car for work. Turns out, a lot of people said they couldn't go so they said they would reschedule for another date.
Well in February, they scheduled a new date. I advised I would be booking this date off as I had plans. Well turns out once again, nobody else could go so they scheduled a NEW date. How the hell do I get out of this again? All our meetings are remote and there is no reason I need to meet my coworkers in person. We don't collaborate or need each other to do our jobs. What do I say this time? They want us to bring our laptops so we can finish the work day at the office. Ughhhh.