Is it normal to be forced to sing when you do something wrong at work?

18% Normal

One of the managers at work has this habit of forcing people to sing when they're observed making any minor infraction. Most people go along with it.

I managed to avoid the punishment until recently when I showed up two minutes late for a meeting (because I was working on an urgent task for her). She gave me a hard time for being late, but then insisted that I sing something before the meeting continues. I refused, telling her I don't sing for anyone. We played the staring game for a few minutes until she told me to leave the meeting.

Since then, she's brought it up at least three times.

Is this normal in the workplace?

Voting Results

18% Normal

Based on 103 votes (19 yes)

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Comments ( 23 )

nobleserpent

12 years ago

Lol, I can relate.

Whenever my nerdy boss is in a bad mood I'll pretend to be a Wizard and say,

"Harken my good adventurer! If I toss a few Coin your way perchance will you grant me entry into the fabled Break Room so that I may partake of the Blackened Liquid and beat back another day's weariness of Soul?"

But then one time he responded in role-play form and things just got....weird.

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- Anonymous Post Author
  
  12 years ago
  
  That sounds funny. There was this one guy who would say funny things whenever someone would say something stupid. Too bad he left.
  
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tbiM20

12 years ago

Humiliation is NOT okay and is not appropriate at work. Managers get fired over stuff like that. If it were a silly little game, fine, but the insistence for you to sing is harassment.

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Darkoil

12 years ago

My dick cost a late night fee, your dick got the HIV......Everytime you sing the second lyrics point at the stupid bitch.

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badmanalive

12 years ago

You should have belted out that song "I'm a bitch...."
That would have been awesome.

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Shackleford96

12 years ago

She brought up the fact that you didn't sing the first time, or she tried to get you to do it again and you still refused?

I think it's cool that you didn't follow the rest of the sheep :)

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- Anonymous Post Author
  
  12 years ago
  
  She brought up the previous time.
  
  I haven't brought it up to my boss yet. It seems like such a trivial thing.
  
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Leafy

11 years ago

no. Its definetley not normal. She.s a nasty bully who ir getting off on humiliating you. Please find yourself.another job. She.s a lowlife bitch. It.s really disgusting behaviour. She should be reported for that. It.s not funny.at all.

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Allistalla

11 years ago

What an odd punishment? Atleast they are not cussing at you seems pretty harmless but really odd.

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thinkingaboutit

12 years ago

shes trying to humiliate. its a good tactic.

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GeorgeMcBob

12 years ago

You need to humiliate her in public. Make comments about her weight or menopause, but do it in a "lighthearted way". If she can do things like that, so can you.

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nobodyspecial

12 years ago

I'd either tell her to fuck right off or I would learn some extremely vulgar songs and continuously sing them when shes around

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dfsq

12 years ago

Sing the chorus of "fuck you" by lily allen :)

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Just_feed_me_Troll_Meat

12 years ago

Maybe you should cut through all the bullshit and start taking singing lessons. That would show her. Or conversely sing so badly no matter how poorly you perform at your job she will never, EVER ask you to sing again.

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- Anonymous Post Author
  
  12 years ago
  
  It's not that I'm a bad singer. I just don't like to do it. And it has nothing to do with my work.
  
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Anonymous Post Author

12 years ago

While I agree, she's not my boss, but the manager of a different department. Sadly enough, I have to deal with her two or three times a week.

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Avant-Garde

12 years ago

That's insane. You shouldn't be expected to have to embarrass yourself at the expense of others.

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- Anonymous Post Author
  
  12 years ago
  
  This is what I said. My coworkers disagree with me.
  
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Angel_in_a_Glass_Dress

12 years ago

So - singing is the punishment in place of other punishments?

Where I work if you're late enough to get in trouble you get written up.

So i say.... you should be offered the following choices
- sing for your punishment and have the punishment go undocumented
- refuse to sing and accept having your punishment switched to a documented write-up

so there, you get what you asked for... and in a way that you will dislike. =)

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- Anonymous Post Author
  
  12 years ago
  
  No. It's not the same thing as being written up. I was already working and was two minutes late to the meeting because I was working on another urgent task for this same manager and she knew it.
  
  If I skipped the meeting, I wouldn't have been in any trouble, either.
  
  She just has this kind of power trip that I don't think is a normal thing in the workplace, but everyone else acts like it's no big deal.
  
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  - Angel_in_a_Glass_Dress
    
    12 years ago
    
    then go to your hr department
    
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    - badmanalive
      
      12 years ago
      
      I totally agree.
      
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Francophile22

11 years ago

Call an attorney; in some jurisdictions that's called "false imprisonment".

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Is it normal to be forced to sing when you do something wrong at work?