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

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

    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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    • 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

    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

    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

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

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  • Shackleford96

    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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    • 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

    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

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

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  • thinkingaboutit

    shes trying to humiliate. its a good tactic.

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  • GeorgeMcBob

    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

    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

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

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  • Just_feed_me_Troll_Meat

    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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    • 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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  • 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

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

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    • This is what I said. My coworkers disagree with me.

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  • Angel_in_a_Glass_Dress

    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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    • 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

        then go to your hr department

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        • badmanalive

          I totally agree.

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  • Francophile22

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

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