The day I had to pick between a 3-hour data entry backlog or a 2-hour "team building" meeting

Last Thursday my manager gave me a choice: catch up on 140 unprocessed invoices or join the balloon tower challenge in the break room. I picked the invoices, and turns out the meeting ran 20 minutes long anyway while my desk stack stayed exactly the same. Anyone else ever gotten punished for choosing the actual work over the fake fun?

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1 Comment

clark.faith11d ago

But what did you actually lose here? The balloon tower thing sounds stupid, sure, but skipping it sent a clear message to your manager that you don't care about the team. That's the real problem. You chose a pile of invoices over a chance to connect with people who have to work with you every day, and trust me, they noticed. Work is half about getting stuff done and half about making the higher ups feel like you're on board with their plans. Next time, even if the meeting is pointless, you show up, laugh at the dumb jokes, and then quietly do your invoices after hours. That's how you survive this stuff, not by hiding behind a spreadsheet.