Work Well-being

[Conniebygaslight]

Every year my employer has a well-being day for staff. It's a paid day so everyone has to engage or if not they have to go into work. Unpaid is not an option. We are given choices of many activities to do with colleagues which people organise and we have to self fund them. They range in cost and some are obviously free.-Spa days or theatre visits, hiking, trips to the beach etc. However we are not allowed to just do our own thing. We also have to prove that we are actually at the activity we have chosen to do, (registers are taken)
This differs greatly to friends who employers let them decide what they want to do on such days.
AIBU to not want to spend my well-being day with my work colleagues doing activities when I'd rather spend precious time with my toddler and grandma for example or having lunch with a friend etc.

I think you're BU. It's one day. Is there a reason you don't want to spend time with colleagues?

If you want to spend time with your toddler, friend or grandma, that's what weekends, evenings and holidays are for.

If your work is paying for a 'well being' day, which is also probably intended to encourage team building and getting to know colleagues better without being expected to work, then of course you need to join in.

It’s a paid day to foster team building. They pay for the time so it’s up to them what you do with it. A day with your toddler just sounds like a day off to be honest. Is that what you want, a free day off?

If you are allowed to suggest activities and it is that important to you why not suggest to HR an activity could be a parents and child farm visit or something? Then you would still spend tImd bonding and getting to know colleagues?

You have the choice to just go to work as usual.
They are not giving you an additional holiday day, they are encouraging a positive day with colleagues outside of the working environment - you get to choose to partake or go to work as usual.

Your annual leave is for you to do whatever you want with and spend time with whoever you want.

I think your company is offering a great scheme with an 'out' for anyone not wanting to participate.

Some people really are never happy. This is why so many companies struggle to try to do the right thing, because too many people complain.

If you're being paid it's fine for your employer to say what you are doing.

You can go in to work if that's preferable.

I'd personally pick a free activity and enjoy the break!

So you get a day to arrange something that probably costs?

I'd he booking a holiday that day tbh

My opinion on this will depend on whether it's a normal working day, or an additional day. Like is it a random Monday, or a Saturday you don't normally work but are being asked to go in extra? If it's a normal working day I'd just sign up for something free and enjoy the break from work.

There are free activities too

Personally I'd just go into work if I didn't want to do the activity.

Hardly a well-being day being pushed into a day of socializing with colleagues.
You should be able to spend it exactly as you wish- be that lying in bed all day or having a cuppa with your grandma.
What the day actually is is a team-building exercise.
It needs to be renamed.

I think you're being ridiculous.

Your employer is trying to do a kind, fun thing for its employees and all you can do is whine about it.

Just do one of the free activities. Surely getting away from your desk for the day is good ?

The family farm visit is a great compromise idea!!

Sounds lovely. I'd love it if my employer did this. If you don't want to pay, how about something free like a hike round a local nature reserve?

That stuff gets much more palatable when you remember they don’t actually care about your wellbeing. It’s just work.

Yes the absolute bastards paying their employees to have a day by beach or on a nature reserve.

Exactly. It's not an extra day of annual leave.

No, the OP says they can go into work as normal if they don't want to partake in an activity.

Exactly this.

People should be able to decide what is best for their wellbeing. If that's going to the beach with others, great, if that's lying in bed watching MAFS while eating Wotsits, also great.

I wouldn’t mind being paid to spend a day at the beach.

I dont think the policy is best way to do wellbeing but yabu to think day off with toddler/grandma is better. This is in addition to AL so think you just have to take the benefits you can from it or go into work if no benefit at all.

I think if I couldn’t palate a day with my colleagues then I’d just go in to work and do a normal working day. You’d probably get a decent amount of stuff done if the office is quiet.

You have a choice - work or go to the well-being activity. I can't understand why you think your employer should give you a third option of "or just have the day off!".

Yea I saw that, I'd still book the day off otherwise I'd be in work doing everyone else's shit 😬

I think its fine given that you have a choice of free activities. Or even work if you are so adverse to spending the day with colleagues.

If you had to do this on your day off or had to be out of pocket, then you would have a point.