That’s not a joke – we had something come round the other day pointing out that enforcing attendance at social events can amount to workplace bulling. You don’t really want to go there!
I’d guess to a lot of people that sounds like a joke, but it’s not.
Being forced to do something, especially if it included travel, even more especially international travel with no means of ‘escape’ under my own steam would have me in a fit of Anxiety.
I really like my Boss, we’re mates, I like everyone I work with but if I felt forced to attend something, even as pleasant sounding as a trip to Milan I’d hate it.
At previous jobs I’ve been made to feel completely insignificant when I’ve, as politely, privately and as non-confrontational as I possibly can be said I don’t want to attend this or that, and won’t be. I’ve been ‘called out’ in public (well work) for being boring, or ruining it for everyone, had peer pressure poured on me, ultimately because someone wants to force me to do something I don’t want to do and I always end up looking like the unreasonable, aggressive one when I get so backed into a corner I lash out (verbally, but it’s come close before now).