Can I skip the team karaoke without explaining my private life?
Career / Work“We finally found an evening everybody can do!” my manager said, waving the karaoke booking confirmation. I hadn’t been asked.
I’d marked the proposed date as free in the calendar because I have no appointment that night. I don’t want to go. A full working day followed by a loud evening with colleagues sounds exhausting, and I’d planned to spend it quietly at home.
It’s described as optional. But when another colleague missed the last social, people kept telling her what a shame it was that she “never joins in.” I’m new enough that I still want to build relationships. I like these people during the day; I just don’t want my empty calendar to mean I’m available for everything.
Would you decline plainly, go for the first hour, or suggest a different way to spend time with the team? I’d rather not invent a family obligation to make a quiet evening count.