Mandatory Fun

Tomorrow we have a team builder/training session scheduled at a bowling alley. The agenda said our time will be split between “personal development” and corporate America’s version of fun. The meeting maker for the event had two options: Attend or Take a Vacation Day. Forcing me to have a good time or take vacation didn’t sit well with me. Would it be asking too much for me to want to come in to the office and work (on my blog)? Here are the emails I sent to HR on the issue…

HR contact,

We are having a team builder tomorrow at Incredi-Bowl and are being forced to either attend the “fun” or take a vacation day. I’ve had about all the manufactured departmental fun that one guy can take and would greatly prefer to just do my regular job. Is there any policy against forcing employees to take a vacation day if they don’t attend a team builder?

If it helps my cause, I could produce a doctor’s note that says I have a fun allergy.

Thanks,

Matt

(HR requested I call to discuss)

HR,
I’d feel awkward discussing the subject on the phone with my boss sitting in the next cube. More than anything, I was frustrated this morning to get yet another email with 48 point green font reminding me to dress wacky for this required event. If it’s acceptable per HR policies to force us to team build or take a vacation day, that’s fine. Let me know if that’s the case and I’ll be done with it. I’ll just paint on a smile and sing the (Company Name) fight song with the rest of the group.

Thanks,

Matt

I cannot get away from corporate fun. The fun committee lady came by today as I was borrowing a co-workers camera to take a picture of me by the urinal. She is a lady that I had already tried to stay away from. She’s loud, obnoxious and tries to talk to you in the elevator. Now that I know she heads departmental fun, I am convinced that the meetings would result in this blog’s best material to date. But, I can’t possibly bring myself to join the committee. I need to figure out a way to give her my audio recorder to record the meetings.

When she came by she said, “You’re on Blank 1’s team, right?” We reluctantly said, “Yes”. She said that no one from our team had volunteered for the fun committee. I sarcastically said, “Really? That’s very surprising”. She said she heard that Blank 2 was fun and I told her that Blank 2 has led the league in fun all semester and would be a great candidate. She rolled her eyes and walked away. Funtastic.