"Optional" ERAC Company Functions...Just how "optional" are they in all actuality?

[Popper1977]

Sure, company functions are an excellent avenue for social interaction among employees from different regions, as well as an opportunity to mingle with the big-wigs in some instances. It is nice that ERAC holds these events, but one "Idiosyncracy" I noticed during my time with ERAC is that there is a subtle pressure to attend all of these. I almost felt that these events were a way for upper management to gauge who is truly part of the ERAC I BLEED GREEN CULT. One example I have, when I worked in Group 20, every January ERAC put on a "Winter Ball", an elegant black-tie party at some swanky hotel in metro-Detroit. The first year I was there, I happened to have previous engagements the weekend that this WInter Ball took place and I chose to go with my original plan to go visit some old friends from college. On Monday after this Ball took place, my branch manager actually gave me a lecture about how ERAC keeps track of which employees attend these events and it could affect future promotions, etc. This was the first sign to me that there was a "cult-like" culture among the company. After that, I was inclined not to go to any of these events (dances, sport extravaganzas, picnics, etc) for the fact that there was more to life than spending my off-time with people I already spent 55+ hours with per week. Hell, any time I went to the bar with fellow ERACers 90% of the conversation was about work. Get a life! My new company holds occasional events and do not force it upon anyone to attend, so I actually go to almost every single one. I was wondering if anyone else had the same observation of ERAC's "optional but you still have to attend" company functions.

[gp65:(]

Originally Posted by Popper1977

Sure, company functions are an excellent avenue for social interaction among employees from different regions, as well as an opportunity to mingle with the big-wigs in some instances. It is nice that ERAC holds these events, but one "Idiosyncracy" I noticed during my time with ERAC is that there is a subtle pressure to attend all of these. I almost felt that these events were a way for upper management to gauge who is truly part of the ERAC I BLEED GREEN CULT. One example I have, when I worked in Group 20, every January ERAC put on a "Winter Ball", an elegant black-tie party at some swanky hotel in metro-Detroit. The first year I was there, I happened to have previous engagements the weekend that this WInter Ball took place and I chose to go with my original plan to go visit some old friends from college. On Monday after this Ball took place, my branch manager actually gave me a lecture about how ERAC keeps track of which employees attend these events and it could affect future promotions, etc. This was the first sign to me that there was a "cult-like" culture among the company. After that, I was inclined not to go to any of these events (dances, sport extravaganzas, picnics, etc) for the fact that there was more to life than spending my off-time with people I already spent 55+ hours with per week. Hell, any time I went to the bar with fellow ERACers 90% of the conversation was about work. Get a life! My new company holds occasional events and do not force it upon anyone to attend, so I actually go to almost every single one. I was wondering if anyone else had the same observation of ERAC's "optional but you still have to attend" company functions.

It is the EXACT same way in gp65! Where does ERAC get this stuff from? Do you think they have closed-door meetings where upper management mandates all this?

I guess it's all just a process of seperating people from reality, so all of their friends are with the company and they start to feel the ERAC life is the only normal one.

[Popper1977]

Originally Posted by gp65:(

It is the EXACT same way in gp65! Where does ERAC get this stuff from? Do you think they have closed-door meetings where upper management mandates all this?

I guess it's all just a process of seperating people from reality, so all of their friends are with the company and they start to feel the ERAC life is the only normal one.

I think you're right. I was just amazed at how many people (even ones that I barely knew) took notice that I chose not to attend this Winter Ball. If I wanted to sit around and talk about work I could do that at one of the many happy hours after any regular work day. I actually did not go to either Winter Ball the 2 years I was there.....the trips to Jed's on Thursday nights were enough "extra-curricular" evenings with fellow ERACers for me. I'm not knocking these events by any means, but the fact that some of us were "ostracized" for choosing to spend time outside of ERAC on our own time was freakin' ludicrous.

Same way in Group 24

[Jeahho]

Originally Posted by Popper1977

Sure, company functions are an excellent avenue for social interaction among employees from different regions, as well as an opportunity to mingle with the big-wigs in some instances. It is nice that ERAC holds these events, but one "Idiosyncracy" I noticed during my time with ERAC is that there is a subtle pressure to attend all of these. I almost felt that these events were a way for upper management to gauge who is truly part of the ERAC I BLEED GREEN CULT. One example I have, when I worked in Group 20, every January ERAC put on a "Winter Ball", an elegant black-tie party at some swanky hotel in metro-Detroit. The first year I was there, I happened to have previous engagements the weekend that this WInter Ball took place and I chose to go with my original plan to go visit some old friends from college. On Monday after this Ball took place, my branch manager actually gave me a lecture about how ERAC keeps track of which employees attend these events and it could affect future promotions, etc. This was the first sign to me that there was a "cult-like" culture among the company. After that, I was inclined not to go to any of these events (dances, sport extravaganzas, picnics, etc) for the fact that there was more to life than spending my off-time with people I already spent 55+ hours with per week. Hell, any time I went to the bar with fellow ERACers 90% of the conversation was about work. Get a life! My new company holds occasional events and do not force it upon anyone to attend, so I actually go to almost every single one. I was wondering if anyone else had the same observation of ERAC's "optional but you still have to attend" company functions.

Where I was they did pressure me to go, and as management they also pressured me to get my employees to go. But ultimately it is your own choice and I have had numerous employees who chose not to attend functions no matter how much crap I gave them. But with things like that Winter Party it is really important to tell them ahead of time you won't be attending because they are paying for a hotel room for you, if your parties were like the ones I attended, and they are going to be pissed if they waste the cost of an expensive hotel room on someone who just didn't feel like showing up.

You want to talk about pressure to attend, check this out....
One year I actually had something really important come up that clashed with the Orlando managers meeting weekend and I told them I wouldn't be attending. As soon as I said it I could hear management shitting their pants around the globe. They put a ton of pressure on me to go but I chose not to and as far as I could tell it never hurt my career. I had another promotion or two after that and after the initial shock they seemed to be pretty understanding of the whole thing.
My point being, if you can skip the Orlando manager's meeting and your career will survive it I have a feeling you can probably skip rib night at the Chicken Shack and come through it without too much trouble.

[Popper1977]

Originally Posted by Jeahho

Where I was they did pressure me to go, and as management they also pressured me to get my employees to go. But ultimately it is your own choice and I have had numerous employees who chose not to attend functions no matter how much crap I gave them. But with things like that Winter Party it is really important to tell them ahead of time you won't be attending because they are paying for a hotel room for you, if your parties were like the ones I attended, and they are going to be pissed if they waste the cost of an expensive hotel room on someone who just didn't feel like showing up.

You want to talk about pressure to attend, check this out....
One year I actually had something really important come up that clashed with the Orlando managers meeting weekend and I told them I wouldn't be attending. As soon as I said it I could hear management shitting their pants around the globe. They put a ton of pressure on me to go but I chose not to and as far as I could tell it never hurt my career. I had another promotion or two after that and after the initial shock they seemed to be pretty understanding of the whole thing.
My point being, if you can skip the Orlando manager's meeting and your career will survive it I have a feeling you can probably skip rib night at the Chicken Shack and come through it without too much trouble.

Thanks for the input. Our group left the hotel reservations as our responsibility so nobody got screwed out of any money, but I see your point. And you must have been a top-notch BRM for your superiors to ultimately forgive you for not being able to go to Orlando. Since you mention it, there is a Chicken Shack next door to me and ribs do sound pretty good right about now.

[Sidecar Randy]

It even gets worse in GP20 and their horrible Winter/Holiday Ball (the only reason it is after the holidays is because it is much cheaper for ERAC. Than to pay the premium cash like all other companies do before X-Mas, cheap'os). Anyway I was a BM at the time and I left w/a few other people @ about 10pm, you can only talk about flip, esqi, op ect... for so long with before throwing up all over the place!!! Well word got out that we took off early and that Monday I had to have a sit down with my ARM about what a bad example I set for everyone else by leaving early and then told me to take my office out that night for a happy hour to show them my dedication to the company. Can you believe that garbage, I left a party early which had 1000 people in attendance and they had a problem with it. I say "if it looks like a PIG and smells like a PIG then it must be a CULT!!!

[Disgruntled ExERACer]

Same way in Group 17!!

[slave no more]

When I was an MT/MA and they would tell me that a function was "Optional" and that if I did not attend it would effect my career I would just questions to their faces that actual work "optional" and if it would effect my career that in fact it was "mandatory" and I would expect to be paid for it. They liked the fact that I took no shit, I became a manager and missed some "mandatory" functions as well. It's all about standing up for yourself. If you perform and do a good job they cannot say shit to you especially if you know a little about employment law too. If anyone ever threatens your career over not going to a function you go straight to your HR manager and you tell them that you expect to be paid for attending a function deemed "optional" but will hurt your career if you don't. Fuck them!

[Popper1977]

Originally Posted by Sidecar Randy

It even gets worse in GP20 and their horrible Winter/Holiday Ball (the only reason it is after the holidays is because it is much cheaper for ERAC. Than to pay the premium cash like all other companies do before X-Mas, cheap'os). Anyway I was a BM at the time and I left w/a few other people @ about 10pm, you can only talk about flip, esqi, op ect... for so long with before throwing up all over the place!!! Well word got out that we took off early and that Monday I had to have a sit down with my ARM about what a bad example I set for everyone else by leaving early and then told me to take my office out that night for a happy hour to show them my dedication to the company. Can you believe that garbage, I left a party early which had 1000 people in attendance and they had a problem with it. I say "if it looks like a PIG and smells like a PIG then it must be a CULT!!!

Sidecar, glad to see that someone else had the same sentiment about the Winter Waste as I did (but not glad that you took shit for it, though)