I had fun once. It was awful.

[firecat]

I don’t work in an office any more, but I’m doing a happy dance over this ruling in France. I never liked feeling worried that my disinterest in certain kinds of office fun would hurt my career. (I had plenty of fun in the office, but it was my fun with the colleagues who shared my sense of humor.)

The Right Not to Be Fun at Work
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-right-not-to-be-fun-at-work

In another win for workplace dignity, one of [France’s] highest courts recently suggested that businesses cannot force their employees to participate in office parties and other supposedly enjoyable activities.
…
the court held that Monsieur T. had no obligation to attend retreats and Friday apéros. In fact, his bosses’ expectation that he join in violated his freedom of expression. Call it, as Arte did, “the right not to be fun.”

Comments

[noelfigart]

Oh wow. Love it.

[oursin]

While I am a misanthrope and the thought of those activities brings me out in a cold sweat, I think it is my right as an Englishwoman to have cake when someone in the office has a birthday, whatever that prune-faced miseryguts at the Food Standards Agency thinks. Carrot sticks are just not the same.

[firecat]

OH FFS!!! Fie on everyone telling people HOW to have fun at the office. As long as we don't scare the horses it should all be fine, ya know?

[lilacsigil]

Hooray! Mandatory fun is by definition awful.

[firecat]

It *IS*

[sabotabby]

Hells yes.

[azurelunatic]

It's an important right!

[firecat]

Darn tootin'

[kore]

Oh ghod I remember so many awful office functions and birthday parties and retreats at which I was totally miserable. So many.

[firecat]

I didn't mind birthday parties, but I minded Friday Happy Hours (I had an hour's commute that I really didn't enjoy doing with alcohol in me) and trips to the Boardwalk complete with mandatory beach volleyball where people who were not native Californians were mocked for not being any good at beach volleyball, and having to shoot down my manager's suggestion that we could do rock-wall-climbing as a team bonding activity.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

As far as I'm concerned, employers are like any other john: they have no right to anything beyond what they pay for. If they want people to do things outside of regular work hours, they must pay for that -- and pay extra if it's overtime, holiday, etc.

Re: Thoughts

[firecat]

employers are like any other john

Ha! Well said!

Re: Thoughts

[selki]

Hear, hear! I had a horrible employer with a start-up attitude whose CEO yelled at us for being "robotic" when we turned up for a ~mandatory walkathon with insufficient pep and enthusiasm for his taste. Mandatory as in not exactly a fireable offense to not come, but first in line for layoffs and no chance at all for raise/promotion with a black mark of non-"team spirit".

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

That idiot deserved exactly the presenteeism that he got.

If you want someone to pretend you're a great lay when you are actually bad at it, that costs extra. Same with pretending to enjoy an unenjoyable event.

Re: Thoughts

[firecat]

So cool of your employer for having a mandatory activity that’s inaccessible to mobility-impaired people.

[silveradept]

Mandatory fun is one of the things that goes with jumbo shrimp and military intelligence. Thank goodness we don't have such activities in my workplace.

[firecat]

Yay for fun-optional workplaces!

[hitchhiker]

yes!!