

Advice on mandatory volunteerism (mandateerism) at the office - CubeGuy
http://www.examiner.com/x-3040-Life-in-the-Cubicle-Examiner~y2009m6d29-Dear-Dudley-How-do-I-deal-with-mandatory-volunteerism-mandateerism-at-the-office

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euroclydon
The truth is to be cherished and protected. I don't like the cavalier attitude
toward lying in this article and others. Not speaking the truth harms everyone
involved. If a principal cannot be demonstrated without lying, then someone
needs to work on their communication skills.

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CubeGuy
Shouldn't the authority figure giving the indirect order to volunteer be
truthful and inform his subordinates that it isn't an option and that not
participating in the "volunteer" activity will have consequences and name
those consequences to the subordinates? Indirect mandatory volunteerism is in
itself lying. Fight fire with fire.

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euroclydon
No. This is very fundamental. Either you value truth or not.

The whole assumption in this article is that the boss is powerful and the
employee is weak. I can think of no better way to demonstrate your weakness
than by being scared to be truthful.

It's possible to be creative and tactful without lying, but ultimately, you
either give up the day, b/c you value your job more than proving a point, but
don't lie and compromise yourself in order to have your cake and eat it too.
Then you're no better than a scammer who values money above all else.

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CubeGuy
Keep living your life with your head in the clouds and I'll keep living mine
in reality.

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JulianMorrison
Is it part of the job I'm paid to do?

Is it valid unpaid overtime of the sort that happens in any tech job, when the
darn thing won't work and there's a deadline and I have a responsibility?

Would I have volunteered to do it anyway?

If none of the above, I'm going to tell you to shove it, in sufficiently
polite but not in the least ambiguous terms.

You think I'm a jerk? Poor team player? I can live with that.

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michael_dorfman
My advice to the guy would be the opposite: I'd say "suck it up."

I get it that he doesn't like his co-workers, but what's the big difference
between disliking them at the office and disliking them for one day at a
charity site? View it as just another work assignment, if you are unable to
see any intrinsic value in giving clothes to the poverty-stricken. Sheesh.

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anamax
> View it as just another work assignment, if you are unable to see any
> intrinsic value in giving clothes to the poverty-stricken.

Spare the self-righteousness.

It's quite possible that the person in question already does something far
more effective for said "poverty-stricken". Should she cut back on that to
make the boss look good?

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michael_dorfman
Nope. But s/he shouldn't need to cut back, The boss is mandating a day off
from work to help the needy, so the options are a regular's day work, or a day
of charity. You're setting up a false dilemma.

