Do you really think he noticed what I said?

This past Friday, we had our annual summer office picnic in Cleveland's Metro Parks. It was our third year in a row at this same location. The best part of an annual affair like this is the interaction and camaraderie of coworkers, and the act of getting to know your fellow workers in a totally difference setting.

There was the usual participation of company personnel in bringing food, games, entertainment and drinks. By the way, the food was outstanding and lead to much discussion about recipes and culinary techniques. Now there is nothing wrong with having drinks at a company function except for the fact that some people tend to overdue and say or do stupid things at the wrong time.

I have been to other outings by other companies where the district or regional manager kept tabs on his underlings, watching how they managed themselves in this "relaxed" atmosphere. An unsuitable or lewd response here and a questionable gesture there lead to the next day's dismissal of several of his subordinates for inappropriate behavior. An evening out with the boss had literally cost them their jobs and careers.

No matter how faithfully or diligently they had worked right up to that fateful moment, they were terminated the very next business day. The boss had matched them drink for drink but he had the upper hand—he got to sign their paychecks and he took full advantage of it.
Ways to combat this type of evaluation or "performance" technique, don't drink at company functions. You never know who is listening or watching.

K