Would you like to spend (mandatory) happy hours with your manager and coworkers after work?

In today’s story, a man shares how he put an end to a new manager’s rule that everyone had to hang out with him to drink after work.

Let’s read the whole story and see what people are saying.

Dressed down so I stood up

I worked in an office where they promoted a very new, inexperienced, unqualified, suckup from an entry-level guy to a team lead.

One of three under the manager.

There were roughly 30 people on the team.

HR rules stated that he wasn’t allowed to apply due to having been at the company <1 year, had zero leadership experience, etc, etc.

Grievances were filed with HR and dropped despite multiple, fully qualified individuals with spotless records being in the running.

He was known to be a suckup, and wasn’t really liked prior to his promotion.

After the promotion he was wildly hated.. Apart from a couple of sycophants.

But it’s important for a team leader to be liked.

Quite entertaining, in retrospect, how people will degrade themselves for the barest scraps of power…

Anyways, middle management knew he was reviled and told him he had to find a way to get people to like him.

His solution was “not required but you should think of them as required” happy hours every month.

For the first one, most everyone felt like they had to go and started figuring out how to fit it into their schedule.

But it was inconvenient.

Some of these people had an hour drive each way and were finding sitters for their kids.

These people were terrified they would lose their jobs if they missed drinking a few beers with the boss.

(I should note that he has roped in everyone under the manager, I’m not even technically under this guy).

I knew my rights and declined the invite.

He comes by my cube a few times and the day of to try to pressure me into being there.

But no one would change his mind.

Dude, there is no way I’m spending my free time with work people.

You can either keep me on the clock or you can’t ask me to be there, I know my rights.

(I liked my team members well enough, had been to parties at their houses, etc, but I’m not going out with the Team Lead under any circumstances).

Team Lead did not like that, and walked away in a huff.

Next day, everyone comes in and everyone is pretending like they had fun when it’s very clear they’re just trying to get away from Team Lead’s attempts at chumming with them.

Things got awkward, but he had a plan.

Around 10 we have a standup and he talks about how great it was to have everyone at the thing.

Then he singles me out, talks about how anti-social I am, and how management notices when people aren’t team players. Don’t skip required events, etc.

LOL, okay dude.

About 20 minutes later, I email the entire team:

“Hey all, asked me about required after work events that are unpaid, so I figured I’d share with everyone.”

“State statute says that for hourly employees like us that we can’t be required to go to these sorts of things without being on the clock.”

They were off the hook.

“So if you can’t find a sitter and can’t make it, you don’t need to worry at all.”

Totally friendly, totally non-confrontational. Totally effective.

Team Lead sat by himself at the bar for the next two “required but not required” happy hours and had to find another way to force people to like him.

Bringing donuts or pizza would work way better.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this.

He also sharpened it first.

You can have more fun with your family.

Exactly.

Yikes.

Another reader shares their opinion.

Yup.

Mandatory fun is usually not fun.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.