Office Events

Even at the best of times, I'm not generally comfortable with large numbers of strangers.

It's just not in my nature.

Now take those strangers and make them co-workers from another branch. Or spouses of co-workers. Or the co-workers of your spouse. And you don't know who connects to who and how.

Who is the boss? Who are the supervisors?

It leads to an awkward and politically-charged atmosphere that no-one finds comfortable. Because you really don't want to offend your spouse's boss. Or your boss's spouse.

Seeing the recipe for fun, yet?  Yeah. Me either.

It gets better: Many office events have activities. Like volleyball or sack races or team scavenger hunts.

So take that awkwardness from above, and give it a dose of competitiveness. Is it bad to beat your boss at horseshoes?  Will your boss' wife (who is on your scavenger hunt team) be offended if you spot items more quickly than she can?

And that's just the "summer picnic" event. What about an office softball game? Or holiday party?

I once went to an office party with an open bar. Once. It was at an extremely high-class place. I had a drink. One. Because the last place I wanted to be drunk was around people I had to deal with for forty hours per week.  Several of my co-workers (and/or their dates) got so drunk that we had to shepherd them home.

And then they had to face us at work the next day.

Some of them didn't remember. Some remembered, and were completely ashamed. The highlight for me was "didn't remember but gossiped about several others."

The next year, there was no open bar. And only a few people were surprised by this.

So, yes. I tend to avoid office functions as much as possible.

They're just never as much fun as was advertised.