‘My equipment is worth $25,000’: Manager pressures an employee to work overtime at a company event because they're a hobbyist photographer, but he refuses to risk his expensive gear

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Nov 13, 2025 10:00 AM EST

Morale was low in this workplace, but when they decided to throw a fun company party for their workforce, a manager's cheap attitude proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the collective office vibe. You can't just ask your employees to work an event that is meant to be fun for them. Once it becomes a job, it's no longer fun, get the picture?

Managers don't always read the room in the workplace. Driven by quarterly goals and upper managerial pressures, they may feel the burn of the corporate ocular searing into the back of their heads, but to their employees, they're the protective wall between 9-5 doldrums and the glass ceiling. Someone needs to look out for the little guy, and usually it's their managers. 

So when this supervisor decided to throw a light-hearted company party, everyone was thrilled. That is, until he started pressuring the office hobby photographer into working the event. He just has thousands of dollars' worth of camera equipment lying around at home. Why not bring it and take pictures of the event? Everyone will be happy about it, except you. 

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  • Photographer taking pictures outside
    via Soc Nang Dong

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • AITJ for refusing to let my coworker use my personal hobby equipment for a "company event" and now everyone says I ruined the vibe
    via pixelvoyager2000
  • So I do photography as a hobby. Not weddings or anything like that, just street pics and some small art stuff for myself. I love this hobby a lot and I saved
    via pixelvoyager2000
  • money for years to get my camera and lenses. They cost more then my first car. I keep them in a case and I treat them like newborn kittens.
    via pixelvoyager2000
  • Last week our team lead decided we should have a fun team outing because morale is low. Cool idea. Then he looks at me and says something like hey you bring your whole camera setup and shoot
    via pixelvoyager2000
  • photos of everyone and we can make a slideshow for the company site. I said no thanks I just want to relax and hang out. He told me it would be free promo for me. But I do not need promo. I have a job and I do art for joy not for extra work.
    via pixelvoyager2000
  • He kept pushing. Two other coworkers chimed in with like dude why not just do it you already have the gear. One even said I should not be so selfish
    via pixelvoyager2000
  • because we are a team. I repeated no and said that my gear is not a free resource for the company. The team lead rolled his eyes and later sent a slack msg that said
    via pixelvoyager2000
  • someone ruined the vibe and he guesses we will have to use phone photos now. Now half the team acts cold to me. They joke about how I take art
    via pixelvoyager2000
  • sooo seriously and I am not a team player. I do not want people touching my expensive gear or treating my hobby like free labor. AITJ for refusing
    via pixelvoyager2000
  • Holiday Potential7... Definitely NTA. It's your personal property, not a company resource.
    via Holiday Potential7
  • Capn_Link ⚫ NTA. People are entitled cunts these days, they need to learn the answer "no" is actually normal. Chill out and have a good time, their shitty slideshow will be just fine with photo's taken on their iphones.
    via Capn_Link
  • Changeofscenery65. He guesses right! Not your problem to solve. The company could hire a professional photographer
    via Changeofscenery65
  • NuggetsAreFree ⚫ NTJ, straight to HR, tell them the hostility has made you "uncomfortable". The team lead should have left it at the first "no", this is high school bullshit.
    via NuggetsAreFree
  • Sufficient_Beach_445 You got one thing right. Moral IS low. Not your problem.
    via Sufficient_Beach_445
  • MixOk5450 ⚫ Report the slack feed to HR. 1. Creating a toxic work environment, by creating an event that wasn't spoken to you about in advance and was sprung on you.
    via MixOk5450
  • 2. Demanding personal property for a work event which means the company I will need to pay for ALL damages if they occur (which they won't want to pay for.)
    via MixOk5450
  • 3. Additional harassment from coworkers over said personal property is also BS
    via MixOk5450
  • Don't take this shit, as a fellow artist people ask me to make them stuff because I sew. I shut that down immediately when I asked about repair fees.
    via MixOk5450
  • Glad-Ad-4390. Absolutely NTJ. They are out of line. Disposable cameras for everybody. Company pays.
    via Glad-Ad-4390.
  • NaturesVividPictures • NTJ. I would tell him well if you want me to bring my equipment I want a damage deposit of $500, I still want you to get a liability coverage policy in my name that will protect my
    via NaturesVividPictures
  • equipment which is worth $25,000 in case somebody bumps into me or grab something and breaks it I do not want to be out my equipment. This stuff cost me
    via NaturesVividPictures
  • more than my car so this is not a phone which is why you want me to come and use it I also want to get paid if you're going to have me take group pictures and pictures everybody and literally work the event here are my rates.
    via NaturesVividPictures

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boss worker employee manager job work coworkers working ceo events employees supervisor workplace company coworker business photographer
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