work team day - reasonable?

coconutcurls

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

theoretica said:

Rather than making excuses would you feel able to speak up - and on behalf of all those who might not feel able to.  Say you do not feel it appropriate for work activities to cost people anything or have those who can't afford it miss out or be put in an embarrassing situation.  Maybe invite your union to comment?

It's not quite from the OP's account, however she implies at one point that the 'away day' activity itself is being paid for by the employer.  Her concerns related to the cost of getting there in the first place and also the potential of having to pay for a restaurant meal afterwards.  The meal, it seems, would be attended by the workers on the 'away day', but would take place off the clock and not count as an official function.  

I'm not sure that an union would have any interest in that.  Most workers, myself included, have socialized with colleagues during non-working hours.  There would be no expectation for the firm to cover that sort of thing.  

 nothing will be paid by the employer

Savvy_Sue

I've managed that person who never wanted to do anything social, especially if it involved food. Their choice, not a problem. Always invited, even though we knew they'd never come!

Smithcom

SpudGunPaul said:

Smithcom said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

I'd bite the bullet and go.  You might consider it a wasted afternoon, but then the alternative would be another wasted - in the grand scheme of things - afternoon sitting at a desk.  You don't want to be there either, so why not pick the more fun of the two things.  You might hate it, you might be entirely indifferent to it or, God forbid, you might actually have a nice time.  Sometimes, in life, it doesn't hurt to say 'yes' to things; I've spent my life saying 'yes' to every invitation and request to do something social that has come my way.  That has backfired on occasion, getting roped into a trip to something best described as an adventure playground for adults springs to mind, but often has not.  I have a good time, in the main, and a full diary.  

Crucially, however, it moves you out of the 'weirdo who doesn't want to do things' camp in the world of office politics.  There is such a camp, and there are those who look down upon its members.  Nobody need be in that camp, since leaving it requires one merely to participate in one or two of the activities that firms inevitably lay on these days.  More to the point, you really don't want to be put in the 'being weird for the sake of being weird' camp, if not going causes conflict with your line manager.  

Getting on at work is often about doing things we do not wish to do.  For some that's tidying the stationery cupboard, for others it's sitting in an overpriced bar you don't want to be in listening to the Regional Sales Director talk about his new BMW.  Both are forms of gamesmanship, but unfortunately gamesmanship is usually necessary.  

An excellent response, with lots of common sense.  One of the best responses that I have seen to a post

I do suspect that the OP had already made their mind up and just wanted some backup.  Hopefully they will rethink.

SC

I must say you have a very similar posting style to @diystarter7

Lol.   Imagine the odds of that

SC (no relation to @diystarter7  !!!)