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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To hate having to do a 'fun quiz' every week at work, and other corporate rubbish?

71 replies

corporaterubbish · 05/03/2023 13:59

Every Monday we have a team meeting, there's around 15 of us. Each week someone gets picked to have to create and present a 'fun quiz', and then we all get picked on randomly to say the answer. I dread it each week, a lot of the time I don't know the answers, I don't know if it's because I don't have a lot in common with my colleagues.

Then we have monthly meetings with the whole department, and someone is asked at random to present a short presentation about themselves/their life. Usually filled with pictures of extensive travelling and running marathons/excelling at tennis/hiking.

There is a weekly happy hour in the office with champagne (?), wine and beer. Then there are monthly socials we are all encouraged to attend. If I'm in the office when one of these socials is taking place, it is pretty impossible to get out of.

Everyone around me seems to lap all of this up and find it fun, and I feel so miserable in comparison but AIBU to hate all of this?!

OP posts:

usernamenumber166373838 · 05/03/2023 14:06

The happy hour drinks and monthly socials sound quite nice and fun to be honest, I'd happily attend most. The other stuff with quiz and personal presentation sounds rubbish, though and I'd hate it to my core. Sorry you have to go through it.
Isn't an option to just opt out?

Covetthee · 05/03/2023 14:10

apart from the happy hour and socialising part, the rest sounds like my idea of a nightmare! Especially the presentation part!!

Lessoftheold · 05/03/2023 14:11

Sounds like absolute hell to me, who thinks up these stupid things?!

AntennaReborn · 05/03/2023 14:16

Each one of these things in isolation would be tolerable, but all of this together, and happening so regularly, must be draining.

I'm comfortable presenting in front of people, and I enjoy social interactions at work, but that sounds really OTT.

I'm making assumptions here, but is the company culture "young", and / or based on some bullshit work hard / play hard mentality? Like work is also expected to be your whole life, and most employees are young with no kids so can easily stay back for drinks etc.? I'm only asking because I used to work somewhere like that, and it was fun when I was in my early 20s, then became hell after that!

Johnisafckface · 05/03/2023 14:20

Ugh we had to do this at my last job. I don’t like presenting as it causes me extreme anxiety so I would feel ill the week leading up to the meeting. I hate when companies do this. I would be ok with happy hour as I can get a drink say hi and then leave.

Cupcakequeen75 · 05/03/2023 14:34

Each and every one of these things make me cringe, to have all of them in your working week sounds awful. ☹️
I have (thankfully) just given up work but I can identify with much of what you say and when such events were introduced into our workplace (not weekly I admit) I booked A/L for those days so I didn't have to attend.

If attendance is compulsory and they happen on a weekly basis, I am afraid I would be looking for a new job.
Do you have a new manager somewhere (making their mark) and possibly these will be a five minute wonder?

Shoppin · 05/03/2023 14:37

All sounds fine to me, we have similar at work and we all enjoy the down time breaking up the week.

WiIson · 05/03/2023 14:39

I would hate it.

WhisperingAutistic · 05/03/2023 14:40

I would have to get another job

Mummadeze · 05/03/2023 14:41

I would love all of this but I still don’t think you are unreasonable because these kind of activities are not for everyone and they should realise that they are causing some people anxiety. I think the personal presentations sound particularly over the top and I would probably ask for these to be changed to something more relevant to work or stopped altogether.

PermanentTemporary · 05/03/2023 14:45

God i would hate this so much.

So grateful to have an all-female team with a particularly middle aged outlook. Also I guess lucky to enjoy my actual job. Zero interest in compulsory 'fun' at work separately from chatting at lunch breaks. I'd be looking for another job.

Lovinmyblanket · 05/03/2023 14:49

Shoppin · 05/03/2023 14:37

All sounds fine to me, we have similar at work and we all enjoy the down time breaking up the week.

Does it still sound fine to you if it's making a colleague anxious or unhappy?

DaisyDays123 · 05/03/2023 14:52

Oh wow. Sounds like a complete yawn fest. I can’t think of anything much more cringy, except maybe those stupid ice-breaker things they make you do at conferences. I would be looking for a new job asap if it was me.

Shoppin · 05/03/2023 14:53

Lovinmyblanket · 05/03/2023 14:49

Does it still sound fine to you if it's making a colleague anxious or unhappy?

Show quote history

Hating it and it giving someone anxiety is 2 different things. OP says she hates it, I like it. OP is not in the wrong for hating it, obviously. The world would be so grey if we all liked the same thing.

Covetthee · 05/03/2023 14:54

DaisyDays123 · 05/03/2023 14:52

Urgh even worse!!

’lets all go around the room Introduce ourselves and state an interesting fact’ 🙄

fuck off.. let me just do what i came here to do!!

purpledalmation · 05/03/2023 15:08

Thank god I no longer have to play the corporate games. Why do these people think we are 6

Terraria · 05/03/2023 15:09

Whoever enforce this kind of activities on every employees are narcissistic. It will make me miserable and look for another jobs. I am 100% introverted.

Thank goodness my current employer don't have time for this, all the social activities are optional so far to keep most of us happy.

LlynTegid · 05/03/2023 15:12

So none of your team are people who don't drink for religious or other reasons? One of my relatives has been teetotal for over 25 years.

What an awful place you work in, OP. It's not too far from harassment.

NotyourMrs · 05/03/2023 15:13

I would do a presentation on the tragedy and trauma that is my life and then sit back in the deeply uncomfortable team silence that followed.

I bet the weekly life presentations would end after that

CementTrucker · 05/03/2023 15:15

We have some of this where I work, but it’s mostly voluntary. On that basis, and with colleagues I enjoy talking to socially, it’s fun. If it were mandated and I didn’t like spending time with the people in question it would be awful.

It can be well-intentioned, but a recent social attempt to bring together remote teams who will never meet in person by making us all talk about our favourite bands and songs was horribly cringey. Funny how everyone’s favourite music was upbeat and motivational. Almost as if they thought it was the right answer to a work icebreaker rather than a genuine response!

Timeforchangeithink · 05/03/2023 15:20

Whatever happened to just going into the office doing a 9-5 and actually just getting paid to work? Yes, I just want to do an 8 hour nose to the grindstone shift!

TellerTuesday · 05/03/2023 15:35

YADNBU. I left the 'blue chip' world to avoid shite like this, honestly it was just relentless.

People talking utter garbage 90% of the time and hardly any work getting done.

The worst one ever was when we rocked up at a country hotel for a 'team building' weekend only to find it was based on 007.

I took voluntary redundancy during a TUPE contract while I was maternity leave and have never missed it.

pussycatinfluffyslippers · 05/03/2023 15:44

You need a new job.

GrumpyPanda · 05/03/2023 15:49

Eeeeeww.

Oblomov23 · 05/03/2023 15:50

These are all ridiculous and I love a social and a quiz, but a short 5 minute one, once a QTR is enough.

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