It’s “the place are you now?” month at Ask a Supervisor, and all December I’m working updates from individuals who had their letters right here answered up to now.
Keep in mind the letter-writer whose bosses wished their distant group to work out collectively 3 times per week? Right here’s the replace.
After your response to my letter and seeing all of the considerate feedback (which I shortly discovered I couldn’t sustain with) I made a decision to keep watch over the state of affairs and proceed to not take part. I had a dialog with the opposite coworker who had an issue with the train as properly and I instructed her that I might not be attending and that I might have her again if anybody gave her a tough time about not attending. I defined to her that she has rights below the ADA and that I might go to bat for her if she didn’t wish to attend and bought any pushback. I assumed that was that.
In our subsequent KPI assembly they created a complete program so we may get to know members of our group who we didn’t in any other case have the chance to work with.They separated our group of 20 into 4 teams after which we got a listing of issues we may do to earn factors. The group with probably the most factors on the finish of the quarter wins a prize. On the prime of that listing was attending the exercise, and on the backside of the listing it was specified that “all group members should attend an occasion for the group to get the purpose.
I instantly expressed my disgust, and my lead got here to talk to me inside the hour. I expressed to her how uncomfortable the state of affairs made me and defined to her the problems we had been already experiencing with being pressured to take part. I laid out how now, if somebody chooses to not take part, they’re letting their group down and stopping them from getting factors.
I used to be lower than thrilled along with her response. Her first suggestion was that I attend and never take part, which I instantly shut down as discriminatory. I laid out the listing for her: what if somebody has an consuming dysfunction, train nervousness, trauma, a bodily incapacity or simply doesn’t wish to be uncovered to weight loss program tradition within the office? What she principally implied was that the leads know their group members properly and that if somebody had a difficulty that prevented them from collaborating that they might already find out about it. We principally ended that dialog along with her telling me that I didn’t have to take part, it was non-compulsory, and so they agreed to change the group constructing tips in order that if any members attend the exercise then the group will get some extent.
I additionally went to HR and documented the state of affairs so that they had been conscious {that a} posible ADA violation may consequence from this program. The HR rep was nice, she requested all the precise questions, and on the finish she laid out my choices for having the circumstances addressed. I made a decision that I didn’t need something addressed presently however I wished a file of the state of affairs in order that if it escalated there can be no query of why it wasn’t introduced up sooner. I used to be nonetheless new to the group and was nervous about damaging my standing inside the ranks, but when another person on the group was upset and wished to make a report at the least there can be a another person’s story on the file to again them up.
This was all in July. The exercises are nonetheless occurring 3 times per week, however nobody has stated a phrase to me about not attending. I used to be nervous that my dissent would trigger points with my grand boss, however she has given me extra accountability and my efficiency evaluations are all constructive. In September the corporate laid off about 10% of the workforce, together with my lead.
My new lead principally leaves me alone and I’ve had zero questions concerning the exercise. The group bonding train wanted to be altered as a result of individuals had been spending a lot time gathering factors that they weren’t getting their work performed, and whereas we’ve modified teams a number of occasions not one member of the group has questioned me or pressured me to attend, and a number of other have expressed how silly they discover the exercises typically.
So all in all I’m holding tight and standing my floor. I nonetheless discover the state of affairs irritating however getting your response and all of the feedback was very validating and helped me acknowledge that I wasn’t overreacting.
