To not accept a Star employee nomination

[JupiterBlue]

Background info: I hate my job and I don't like my manager. He's incredibly demanding and just generally unpleasant. I've been looking for new roles, but it's difficult to find one with my hours & salary & DH has been made redundant so I don't really want to risk it.

My manager emailed me yesterday, saying that he had nominated me for a "Star" award. I have been working very hard recently since one of our team members left, and I do appreciate the positive feedback.

As a nominee you have to attend three four hour workshops, which would be partly outside of my working hours. These would be about how great the company is and you have to talk about your role and how you have made a positive contribution. Your manager also has to attend and give a speech. I am already doing the job of someone who works full time, so to be honest, don't really want to waste time on this. I also wouldn't want to go if it was totally inside my working hours. I find the whole concept a very cringe, and as I mostly work from home, I don't know many people in the office.

I've mentioned I'm going to a cousin's wedding in the month of these "workshops" so I think I'm going to get out of it. My DH thinks I'm being "odd" and that I'm not being a team player and people will think badly of me. To be honest, I doubt my boss will even remember this by the time the workshops come around.

YNBU

That sounds like a lot of work for something that's supposed to be rewarding!

Can you use this as a springboard to have a conversation with your manager about workload, if that’s really the issue.

Fine if you just don’t want to go. But it will make people wonder if you’re ambitious/ a team player. That might not be an issue.

Don’t say ‘I can’t go because it’s in the month of my cousin’s wedding’, that just sounds odd.

Chanel your inner Veronica!

(hope that works - otherwise search for Veronica cartoons on YouTube)

So basically they've applied terms and conditions to getting recognition? That's ridiculous!

We just give people a bit of cash and a massive well done, we don't make them attend workshops. Hideous idea and I'd not want to be part of it either.

I would probably do it as a way to get another job: it is a stepping stone that will make you stand out amongst other applicants. If you just can’t be bothered to do it rather than it actually causing you major issues, then maybe you can’t be bothered to get a new job?

It's a very weird reward system indeed!
I would decline politely as well, do you actually gain anything from this? Is there a financial reward?

So you get rewarded for working hard and your ‘reward’ is 12 hrs of workshops. Yeah, screw that.

What?? How strange. I’ve never heard of any employee of the month/quarter scheme that involves extra work out of hours! Normally you get a shout out in an email or a voucher if you’re lucky.

Ha love it! It’s so twisted it’s wrapped around itself and disappeared up its own backside.

No, I wouldn’t accept it, I can’t see it making you anymore ‘attractive’ to another employer either. There’s simply no win in it for you. How you go about saying no, is another matter. But, I would just have laughed, said no and moved away and carried on with my day. (Which what I do with my boss over something similar.).

The 'reward' is to showcase your talents to "industry leaders". We will be given a challenge and then work with other nominees to find a solution. There is no actual prize apart from a trophy and a feature in some random obscure industry magazine. It's supposed to be for the experience, of course. The first three days is meeting everyone, being organised into teams etc. It's really my idea of hell.

Maybe outing, but I work in risk management within the finance industry so I would essentially be doing a pretend work task so people I will never see again can give me a pat on the head.

When I was a child my DF's employer used to do away trips to reward high-performers and dress it up as a sort of conference thing. It's a useful way of getting yourself noticed, especially if you want to move role; presumably other managers will be there to talk about what their teams do, and you can get some ideas about what else might be available., at the same time as getting your face seen. I loathe 'networking' but this seems like a good opportunity tbh.

Sorry, I was very unclear. I had mentioned to my manager before this nomination that I had a wedding in month of workshops, but did not mention the specific day so it wouldn't seem like a total BS excuse, although perhaps to much of a coincidence.

Understood about showing lack of ambition. I would love a new job, but getting the hours I have now is probably not going to be an option with the people attending this event. Also, I know eight people who have been nominated in the past & they are all still in the same role.