Working recently on a large IT project in the UK I started as a lonely temp with 7 others, one of being a friend who I had worked with before and had recommended I work there (curse him).
The induction was hell. The normal corporate "lets all get to know a little more about each other in the most embarrassing way possible." After a few months we all settled in and being a new department ideas where banded around on how to make the job more "fun" and "colleague incentives." A "Dress Down Friday" was chosen, with a "charity donation" of 1 pound per week.
A few weeks later I asked the newly-assigned ‘Charity Donation Treasurer’ (a perky 19 year old girl), "Where is the money going to?" Her response was: “I've decided it should go to breast cancer, as my aunt had it.”
Now don’t get me wrong: this is a very worthy cause and affects a lot of women; my family have been affected by cancer, as have most people I know.
But....
I asked, “Has this been agreed by everyone? There are other charities and maybe we could split donations among a few different ones.” In a tongue-in-cheek tone I added, “It's not really charity if its enforced.”
“No, its my choice,” she said, hands on hips and voice a bit too loud.
At this point a team leader walked past and asked if there was a problem.
To which she said (again loudly) “[Craig] thinks it's wrong to give the charity money to Breast Cancer and he's not willing to donate.”
“Is this true?” I was asked by a second team leader who had now joined in.
"Well, sort of," I stumbled, “I just think if I'm going to donate, I should be able to choose where my donation is going.”
At this point I was taken off to a small room by both the team leaders and told to stop upsetting my team-mates. I was also given a verbal warning.
I have since left, but that’s a different story....
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