'[I] shattered his "Ricky Bobby" dreams': Mechanic humiliates boss during mandatory team building event

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 5, 2023 5:00 PM EDT

This boss doesn't care what his employees think, he wants to drive go karts with them. 

Go karts are so much fun that it's hard to blame u/tee_ran_mee_sue's boss for wanting to visit a racing track. Though you can find them at amusement parks, go karts aren't just for kids. Adults can live out their speed racing fantasies through these zippy little cars. You and a bunch of your pals can hop into the go karts and race through a tire-lined track to your heart's content. 

You know who doesn't care for go kart racing, though? Someone who's being forced to have fun by their boss, at a meet-up they really didn't want to go to. That was the situation that the OP found themself in, as they shared in this great malicious compliance story. This boss thought they were being very cool, but by forcing his employees to repeatedly do the same activity, I'm sure he was just driving a wedge into their relationship. 

You can read the whole post below. A few commenters even added their own similar stories of workplace MC. Next up, this micromanaging boss got fired — all because she utterly refused to hire temp workers. 

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  • 01
    Font - Are you sure you want me to take part in this go kart race? Sure thing, boss. м ос A few years back, I started my first job as a mechanic and was informed of a mandatory monthly kart race in the local track which was promoted by my boss and owner of the company.
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 02
    Font - He didn't care if you enjoyed it or not, he booked the time slot and we all had to show up (after working hours and paying our own ticket to drive). It was supposed to be a team building exercise and I could see the boss really liked race cars through the various pictures and trophies in his office.
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 03
    Font - During the week, in anticipation to the event, boss would motivate / participate in setting the mood for the upcoming race. It was the only topic that week and I was told by colleagues that this was really important.
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 04
    Font - I knew that, on the evening of the race, I had to pick up my girlfriend and that would clash with the race, so a couple of days before, I told my supervisor that I would not attend the race. It was after hours and on my dime anyway so I didn't think it would be a problem.
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 05
    Font - Some 20 minutes later, I'm summoned to the boss' office and he's not looking happy. He tells me that building the team spirit is one of his priorities and that I'm new there so I was to give a lot of focus to this monthly event if I was to keep working there, because it was part of the "core culture of the company". I really needed the job so I just said "Sure thing, boss".
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 06
    Font - On the evening of the event, I drive to the kart track and, upon arrival, I see my colleagues all in jeans and t-shirts and my boss in full ballerina attire. He had racing overalls, racing boots, gloves and even a custom helmet. It downed on me the reason for the event and why so much attention was given to it: kart racing was his thing.
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 07
    Font - With about 15 racers, I asked to start dead last. Boss man listens to me talking and intervenes in front of everyone that we were there to race and not to just drive around slowly. Up until that point, I wasn't really paying much attention but I decided to comply and show how much the "core corporate culture" was important to me.
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 08
    Font - Starting from last, I proceeded to overtake all other karts, including boss man on the outside of a fast corner (overtaking on the outside is often seen as a bold arrogant move). After just a few more laps, I reached him again and, as I was about to lap him, he went into the pits and stepped out.
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 09
    Font - I duly won the race and, as I left the track into the bar (the real team building event), someone tells me that the boss had left. At the bar, the topic of the evening was how I had outraced everyone and how the boss, who had won all races since ever, was livid with my performance.
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 10
    Font - Too bad for him. I guess I forgot to add to my resume that I had raced karts competitively as a kid so I knew what I was doing and shattered his "Ricky Bobby" dreams.
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 11
    Font - After that, I was always courteously invited but never again required to show up to his events. I went a few times but arrived late on purpose so I would just take part on the bar thing and not the race.
    via u/tee_ran_mee_sue
  • 12
    Font - Wthobart Monthly mandatory unpaid events to stroke the bosses ego .... Smhh
    via u/Wthobart
  • 13
    Font - JoeyJoeJoeJrShab +4 It's worse than unpaid -- employees had to pay for their own ticket. At my job, we once had a similar team- building event. The difference was, the company paid for it, and it was during working hours, so we earned our normal pay while there. Now that I put it that way, I guess ours was completely different - - it was fun, and didn't break any labor laws.
    via u/JoeyJoeJoeJrShab
  • 14
    Wheel - Jealous-Preference-3 "Why is no one having fun?...I specifically instructed people to have fun!"
    via u/Jealous-Preference-3
  • 15
    Font - CanuckInATruck My favourite ones are paintball with bosses. First time I showed up, I only brought a mask, I knew the rental markers well enough. The bosses all had mid level tournament markers. Next time I brought my hockey sized gear bag. That was when they found out I played, at that field, 2 to 3 days a week and had been for a few years.
    via u/CanuckInATruck
  • 16
    Rectangle - TheF terUpperOfS You should submit the overtime... if the time is company mandatory then it's company paid.
    via u/TheF***erUpperOfS***
  • 17
    Smile - Eagle_Pancake In the navy, we call this kind of thing, "mandatory fun time"
    via u/Eagle_Pancake
  • 18
    Font - placebotwo Mandatory "fun" for work: • I'm getting paid / on the clock for this. +2. • Work is also footing the bill. 267 [deleted] Exactly. Reply Share If I'm required to show up, I'm getting paid. And sure as h I aint paying to attend a required work function.
    via u/placebotwo
  • 19
    Font - darkenseyreth I've never worked at a place that made things like this mandatory, but they certainly guilt tripped and badgered the out of you if you said you weren't coming, or were non committal.
    via u/darkenseyreth
  • 20
    Font - Stabbmaster +3. A little lesson in humility never hurt anyone. Maybe he should use it as a lesson to not force people to do things they don't want to do on their own dime.
    via u/Stabbmaster

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boss go kart driving drivers driver funny workplace-stories work stories work coworkers employees workplace coworker owner race
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