The organisation needs you

[muckefuck]

The staff organisation at work needs warm bodies. I figured someone would probably nominate me, even though I've tried to spread the word that I'm not interested. Sure enough, I'm eating my lunch today when one of the current officers bounces up and asks me if I'm willing to be vice-president.

The responsibilities aren't much. As far as I can tell, the body's work consists of selling donuts once a month (obstensibly as a fundraiser, although it doesn't actually make a profit) and hosting two parties a year. But that's not the point. The point is that I don't value these functions highly enough that I'd be willing to sacrifice my precious free time to keep them going. Sure, all things being equal, I'd rather have the annual staff picnic than not, but I'd much rather picnic with my friends than some freaks from work any day. I know there are some people here for whom work is a major social outlet and I've always sort of pitied them.

I tried to explain this to her in a kind way, but she wouldn't let up. She said she'd certainly feel a "hole" if the organisation were gone. Why? I asked. Because it's been around for so long, because it's done so much good, because she's invested so much in it.

I've been through this before. I've been involved in social organisations which always seemed to barely make it from one year to the next. This was particularly true for the student organisations, since they needed a minimum number of registered students to retain funding and the ability to meet on campus. At some point, I began to ask myself, If there's so little interest in supporting this group, why are we fighting so hard to preserve it?

Eventually, I came to see that no group "has" to exist. If they serve an ongoing need, chances are that other groups will arise to fill the gap they leave with their demise. Sometimes, they are a victim of their own success. After the GLB staff organisation at my previous place of employment won the fight for domestic partner benefits, it lost steam and eventually dissolved; I don't know if it's been reconstituted or not. However, I feel confident that if another issue of equal importance emerged, it would be.

That's how I feel about this organisation. It seems to have no advocacy dimension (in fact, the officer said this was "not allowed"), nor any other important function that isn't performed by other groups or individuals. I told her that "death" isn't permanent; if a year goes by with no holiday party and enough people are put out by this, well, then a number of them will come together to make sure there's one next year, right?

She wasn't so sure and kept pestering me until I said, "There's no talking to you!" and sent her on her way.

Comments

[o-nut.livejournal.com]

I tend to agree with you on this. I had some pressure a year or so ago to get involved with my company's social events committee. I did not think it was a good use of my time and skills, and declined. Though I'd spend hours on frivolous party planning for something involving friends. I guess I'm a freeloader when it comes to work events, but I think they're not paying me to do that stuff on company time, which is inevitably what people at our company do.