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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How to get out of your work's depressing Zoom party

142 replies

FestiveZoom · 02/12/2020 15:42

Mine will involve Karaoke. 😶 How are your annual "rewards" coming along? Got anything to beat that?

YABU: Awww, this is a fabulous idea, more festive Zoom, more more more! 🥳

YANBU: Cringe, vomit, avoid. 🤮

www.wired.co.uk/article/christmas-zoom-party-work-excuses

OP posts:
IEat · 02/12/2020 19:07

No thanks. I won't be joining in.
Shirt, sweet, simple

IEat · 02/12/2020 19:07

Short

Anniegetyourgun · 02/12/2020 19:12

We’re having zoom bingo. Compulsory, but out of hours.

You have to attend in your own time ??!! That's pretty rancid. I hope they pay you a handsome salary to make up for it.

TooManyDogsandChildren · 02/12/2020 19:53

Don'tDribble Xmas Grin Xmas Grin

Now you see the thing is I am convinced that any lie I tell would immediately come true - exploding car, attack of coronavirus etc so I am sure I will end up meekly attending.

Wheresyourclapham · 02/12/2020 20:08

Just laugh every time it’s mentioned. Afterwards, say you thought it was a joke if anyone asks why you were not present.

If it’s in work time, schedule an important meeting at the same time, book leave or pull a sickie.

Politely decline. If the organiser is hard of hearing just say “No, thank you” Followed by a long hard stare.
Rinse and repeat.

My company is doing something similar. I’m lucky that I joined just before the 1st lockdown, so most of my colleagues don’t even know who am, know what I look like and and won’t miss me 😂

nosswith · 02/12/2020 21:07

@TooManyDogsandChildren so will people who need the toilet urinate in a corner of the garden? Does the boss pay business rates?

I would suggest as well as contacting HR, make it very clear if it goes ahead you will contact the police.

wibdib · 02/12/2020 22:33

For the karaoke one say that you don’t do karaoke even in a good year so you’re certainly not going to inflict that torture on yourself or others in this of all years but instead you’ve chose a nice YouTube /tiktok/etc of kittens/classic great song/appalling rendition of bad song by someone else/ something you think they’d love or hate, then play it on your phone and hold it up in front of your camera so they can see it and your hand holding it but not much else, bonus points for jiggling it around a bit to make it difficult to watch and hear. Hopefully they will soon get you to stop.

If they try to get you to do something in person tell them that it’s supposed to be a party and they’re not allowed to be mean and bully you at a party, you’ve made an effort, they are causing a fuss and being miserable and embarrassing everybody. So stop bullying me and go pick on somebody else. If you can get them words out about them being mean, miserable, bullying, etc first, they’ll need to be really careful as you can easily then go to HR and say that you repeatedly asked them to leave you alone, to stop bullying you and just move on butthey repeatedly didn’t it’s not going to reflect well on them.

Forthr boss who expects you to go to her house, ring up and say that you can’t see a parking spot so you turned around and have come home again. Or ask her to provide a parking pass in advance s you can’t ever find parking, then just say it never turned up so you assumed her plans had changed and she didn’t want you going. Or say that you thought she was joking as it obviously wasn’t a work meeting and it’s too cold to stand around outside at the moment.

Youngatheart00 · 02/12/2020 22:35

The only positive thing about mine is that it’s for 2 hours of work time and we are permitted to drink booze. I’d prefer just to clock off two hours early though, if I’m honest. Zoom is done.

NorthAndSouthern · 02/12/2020 22:38

@TheTempest

We’re doing an online escape room thing. I’m quite looking forward to it though!
Oo where is that?
islockdownoveryet · 02/12/2020 22:44

Haven't we suffered enough this year to have forced fun on zoom . No thanks my internet will mysteriously go down for the duration.

StCharlotte · 02/12/2020 22:51

If you want ideas though, my team has been doing “who would live in a house like this” for our team meetings every week and taking it in turns to do a video tour of our homes and then quiz everyone to see what they remember about it.

I can understand why people would hate this but the show-off in me would quite like it as we've had a lot of work done to the house recently and of course no one's been able to see it yet.

whatshalliget · 02/12/2020 22:59

This thread reminds me of this:

www.instagram.com/p/CIGLzEgAgCu/?igshid=1r5t9457opd0k

Wheresyourclapham · 02/12/2020 23:03

Re. the post about everyone filming video tour of their homes and people guessing who lives there:

‘How awkward for those who wish to conceal how meagre - or how opulantly - they live. Or those in D.V. situations. I can see that backfiring in some teams where there is considerable economic disparity! Especially right now.’

^This

Why would anyone want to do that!??Absolutely not and my house is decent!

TeaBanditTeej · 02/12/2020 23:04

@unmarkedbythat

Oh, no, my internet has gone down
Hahaha yes!
ShatnersWig · 02/12/2020 23:06

Have never been to a work Xmas party and don't feel I've missed out. With one employer Xmas lunches were done instead which were fine but that was 20 years ago. Current workplace (15 years) never had one as there's only 3 staff!

LouiseTrees · 02/12/2020 23:07

Concert/live stream exclusive with a well known comedian and a chocolate hamper sent to us to eat whilst watching

Wheresyourclapham · 02/12/2020 23:07

@whatshalliget
😂🤣😂

Ontheboardwalk · 02/12/2020 23:08

TooManyDogsandChildren shame you've been told to isolate. Oh wait you'll find out next day it was a false alarm

ramblingsonthego · 02/12/2020 23:09

After they have made me redundant and yet still having to work notice as well, they can fuck right off if they think I am attending this sort of shit. I am hoping this is not thought up where I work.

MadameBlobby · 02/12/2020 23:11

I have 2 and it’s a new job so I don’t really know anyone properly

On the plus side I had 3 bottles of wine delivered for the wine tasting one today

#prayforblobby

Orangeboots · 02/12/2020 23:21

We’re looking at guided beer tasting l

WFHWF · 02/12/2020 23:42

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

StillDumDeDumming · 03/12/2020 05:37

I really like my colleagues- we’re mates and I live in a different town to most of them. I really miss them and get quite tearful at team meetings lately. We’re having some kind of thing for a couple of hours and I’m not entirely looking forward to it. I’m not eating or drinking alcohol at my desk though- alcohol especially would be a bit of a slippery slope! We’re public sector so there’s no budget and it’s in our own time. We’re chatty but it doesn’t work so well online does it?

Gumbo · 03/12/2020 06:24

The thought of most of these is making me feel quite ill with horror.

The idea of doing a Secret Santa was thrown out to us to vote yes or no - thankfully everyone saw sense and even that won't be happening in my team Grin

However - it's been a dreadful year for everyone, so I thought that perhaps the money that our company normally give the various departments for Christmas bashes which I do my best to avoid would perhaps be used to send us each a tiny something to cheer us up. But no, instead we've had an email saying it'll be given to charity instead - I KNOW I'm being means spirited, but the thought of being sent a little box of chocolates or something was quite appealing Blush

JustCallMeGriffin · 03/12/2020 06:54

Ours is over lunchtime...we're expected to provide camera worthy food, eat food on the call, dress up and participate in quizzes.

I don't eat during the day, cannot afford to buy 'fun' food for the purposes of a team meeting, don't do dress up...ever and hate forced fun like quizzes.

I can see my end of year review concentrating on my lack of team spirit. What a way to end 2020...alienating your workforce via a forced Christmas activity!