Remote employee quits job after CEO demands they attend team building events, their manager resigns in solidarity: ‘The people are poorly valued’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Aug 10, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

Mandatory socializing events in workplaces have always been a weird concept to grasp. The idea of being forced to participate in 'fun' events for the sake of team building, while they are usually off-site and do not occur during actual work hours, is quite strange. 

Sure, team building can be important, and it's nice to break away from your normal routine to experience something else, but why does it have to be mandatory? What is the point of forcing employees to take part? Wouldn't it be much more effective if the people who participate actually want to be there?

Not to mention, you don't get hired to partake in socializing; you are there to do a job. If you do it well, who cares if you are friends with the people you work with? Does it actually affect someone's ability to do their job?

These questions lead us to the story below, in which a fully remote employee was required to attend team-building events and was asked to switch to working three days from the office. The employee refused those demands and quickly found a new job, which inspired their manager to follow suit. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10539168512
    via Mike Marchetti

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02

    Quality employee doesn’t socialize

    My report is a high performing and highly knowledgeable (took us almost a year to find an acceptable candidate for the skill set) in their field.
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    The role has been remote since hire and is technical in nature without a requirement for physical presence anywhere to do the job, just an internet connection.
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    I have two problems I don't know how to address: 1. They're refusing a return to office initiative and said they will separate if forced.
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    Senior management is insistent but they know we can't go without this role for any time period for the next 3 years else lose a vital contract for the company.
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    I proposed getting a requisition opened to hire an onsite replacement but was turned down. 2. They're refuse to travel for team building events.
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  • 07
    They explicitly stated they have no interest socializing outside of work. We recently had an offsite team meeting they didn't attend because outside of a vendor presentation that is admittedly outside of their area of practice,
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    the schedule was meals and social events. I explained how fun it would be but they said having their "life disrupted for go karts" wasn't worth it and it would be disruptive to their home life outside of work hours.
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    They get along well with the team so I'm not really worried about the collaboration, but I think other people noticed they skip this kind of stuff and it hurts the team morale.
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    Advice? Edit: I think I'm the one who needs a new job. The C level is unreasonable and clearly willing to loose this key individual or thinks they will flinch and comply (they won't).
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    Either way I'm s and sure to be thrown under the bus. You all ed are completely right, they shouldn't have to do the team building and I should have been better shielding them from unnecessary travel.
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    Update 1

    Well I went in this morning and talked with the head of HR and my division SVP.
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    I told them flat out that this person was out the door if they mandated RTO for them.
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    They tried the "well what about just 3 days a week" thing, and I said it wouldn't work.
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    We could either accommodate this employee or almost certainly lose them instantly.
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    You'll never guess what I was told by my SVP... "I'm not telling the CEO that we have to bend the rules for them when the CEO is back in office too.
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    Next week they start in person 3 days a week, no exceptions."
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    I wish I could say I was shocked, but at this point I'm not.
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    I'm going to tell the employee I went to bat for them but if they don't want to be in- person they should find a new position immediately and that I will write them a glowing recommendation.
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    Immediately after that in handing in my notice I composed last night anticipating this.
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    I already called an old colleague who had posted about hiring in Linkedin.
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    I'm so done with this.
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    I was blinded by culture and couldn't see the forest for the trees.
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    This culture is toxic and the people are poorly valued.
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    Man Holding Online Meeting
    via Pressmaster

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Thanks for the feedback I needed to get my head out of my rear.
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    Update 2

    He's gone and I am one foot out the door and in to another. Within 5 days he had accepted a position with another company and had his laptop overnighted with an 8 word resignation taped to it.
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    "I quit. New place said remote was guaranteed." and they've been trying to get ahold of him since to make him a counteroffer. What a joke.
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    Now they're wiling to bend the rules for him?! They took away my credibility with him and the team for something they were willing to give up?!?!?!
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    I've been given a list of concessions I'm authorized to make if I do hear from him. I tried calling once and left a polite voice mail asking for a 5 minute conversation.
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    I won't try again, he doesn't work for me anymore, they're expecting me to virtually harass him. I am done at the end of this week.
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    They're trying to get me to stay but I have another position I am moving in to. It's a slight pay cut, but I know I'll be able to be an effective manager there.
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  • 33
    I'll likely hear about the implosion from losing the contract, but to maintain some anonymity for my employer, this will be the last update.
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    And if on the off chance someone from my soon to be ex- employer does recognize this scenario, this was all preventable. Check the emails to Carl and Sherry, check my archived emails.
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  • 35
    New page, new chapter. Thanks for everyone who contributed to my initial post in good faith, it helped me remove my blinders and see the situation for what it was.
    via Beneficial_Gold_7143

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Tags

boss work from home workplace-stories remote work employee manager job tales-from-the-workplace reddit story ceo overworked-employees workplace Reddit company team quitting
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