We have a few co-workers, a manager and a director.
I love my co-workers, but I live for my lunch hour.
Id rather contribute $5 for breakroom cake.
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I feel obligated to attend because it would feel rude to my co-worker to bow out.
Am I a sour pickle for not wanting to participate in lunch hour birthday (work) events?
-D.
Dear D.,
I agree with you in principle.
You should be free to use your unpaid time however you want.
Situations like these can get awkward, especially in small offices.
These events may technically be optional, but they feel mandatory when your absence would be noticed.
So no, I dont think youre being a sour pickle.
The question is, will your co-workers and manager think youre being a sour pickle?
Theyre the ones you have to deal with on a daily basis.
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Regular attendance could take a huge toll on your time and budget.
Your attendance is a lot more noticeable given that you work in a small office.
Youre clearly worried about hurting a co-workers feelings.
Might it be easier to simply sacrifice three lunch hours and the cost of three meals a year?
I hate that managers put their staff in these uncomfortable situations.
But maybe its worth participating to preserve your workplace relationships, given that these are relatively rare occurrences.
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But if this is important to you, I dont think theres anything wrong with politely declining to attend.
But I hope you have a wonderful birthday!
You could also give a shot to start a new tradition.
Obviously, it would be tacky to have a go at change things right before a co-workers birthday.
But I really appreciate the kind offer.
Maybe your reasoning will catch on.
It wouldnt surprise me if your co-workers dont exactly live for these office celebrations either.
I really hope that any manager reading this will take note of your dilemma.
What can seem like a fun office celebration can be taxing on employees.
Youre not doing anything wrong by declining these invitations.
But theres the possibility that your colleagues will think youre being stingy with your time and money.
You also cant control other peoples opinions.
If you tend to agonize about what others think, rocking the boat may not be worth it.
Your lunch time is valuable.
But were talking about three lunch hours a year.
Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Send your tricky money questions to[email protected].
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