Part of my review at work includes community service. WTF?

[Wcross]

I work for a manufacturing company. We sell shit for a profit. I work in a factory as a staff member. I was told today that a portion of my yearly review would be evaluated for my "volunteering" in one of our company sponsored community service projects. I asked if I could do something on my own. The manager said it had to be sponsored by the company. The company has "adopted" two schools close to the plant. One of the options is serving breakfast to the kids. It would be on my day off. I live 45 miles away. I don't even like children. Can they do this?
They also stated it would be unpaid. Unless I participate I am graded negatively on my yearly performance review. Can they do this?
Before you judge me, I do my own community service. This week I rescued a dumped dog and spent over 150 dollars to place it in a loving home. I clean the roads of litter, I donate money to the united way, I donate to the humane society. I fail to see how serving breakfast to children is a community service. I go to work to get paid, I work my ass off for it. I don't think I should be forced to work unpaid to get a good review.
Am I wrong here?

[Dave Reynolds]

1. I do not think you are wrong.

Sounds iffy to me.

Does your performance review have any bearing on pay increases, and would this negative mark cause a problem with your employment?

[Wcross]

4. If I were to see a pay increase it would......n/t

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Nope...you're not wrong

When I was teaching, on top of putting in 14-16 hours a day with children, staff meeting, chairing IEP meetings and doing mega-loads of SpEd paperwork, I was expected to give up several evenings a week to attend parent-child school functions, or attend weekend school functions. I didn't...and it did NOT result as against me in my reviews.

Maybe call your local labor board about this...?

[Beware the Beast Man]

3. That doesn't sound right.

Voluntarism should never be forced. I had a similar problem at an old job- it was pretty much mandatory to give to the United Way. I don't mind forking over $5 out of each paycheck, but it was the principle of it.

[JVS]

9. Damn United Way extortionists!

[MissB]

5. I don't think you're wrong.

I think the company you work for is destroying the purpose of volunteerism by attempting to "force" you to participate.

[Wcross]

6. If they held a spay-neuter day in my county I would run the thing.

The problem is they pick what I do. One of the things I could do is clean the creek behind the plant. Or I could man a company tent at a local jazz festival. All unpaid.
They should pay someone to clean the creek. They should have marketing people manning the tent.
If they want to do some real work- why not the spay-neuter program?

[MissB]

7. Neither of those two options sounds like "community service"

It sounds like unpaid work that benefits the company.

[Gormy Cuss]

8. Can they do it? Yes. Should they? Morans!

Write a polite letter detailing your community volunteerism throughout the year, the length of time you've had each commitment, how much time you spend, the value to the community, and then suck up and praise the company for its commitment to community service because you know first hand how hard it is to find volunteers. Are they issuing company logo shirts or names or something? You could offer to wear something that identifies the company at one of your dog rescue/humane gigs. If the management has any brains they'll recognize that they then get credit because of the visibility.

Either that or volunteer for one of their projects.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

10. Face it. They own you.

If they want you to dance on the street corner dressed like an organ grinder's monkey, Beyotch, you'd damned well better do it and thank them for the opportunity.

Welcome to the New America.

P.S. No, you're not wrong. Any company that feels the need to coerce its employees into corporate-sanctioned acts of pseudo-charity should really take a long look at its own blackened soul.

[SofaKingLiberal]

11. No, you are not wrong.

It sounds like they're coercing workers to work for free in order give them good PR.

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. This kinda stuff is bullshit

At the last newspaper that employed me, we were "encouraged" to do a shift or two at the paper's booths at the county fair and trade show. I refused on the grounds that (1.) it's unpaid overtime (I should say more unpaid overtime, as I was salaried and regularly worked 60-hour weeks) and (2.) such activities are part of sales and circulation, and I worked in editorial.

I would've liked to have seen them try to ding me over this. I doubt it would've held up in court.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

13. If there's a tricky way you can check with human resources to verify this

I would do that. It *could* be that your manager is evaluated according to how much participation he gets from his group on these company sponsored events so he used that to get you to go.

[REP]

14. That's Outrageous

I never had a problem telling my former employers (I'm retired) to kiss my ass when they tried to force money for charities I don't support to make their corporate giving look good. I do not believe they really can grade you negatively for this; it may be that your manager is looking for a 100% participation in his department for his/her review.

Even if you didn't work with animals, you'd get no harsh judgment from me - I don't like children either, and I sure as hell don't like driving 45 miles each way at $3.19/gallon to be around them!

[Redstone]

15. I think you have a legitimate beef. Even a legal one.

I'm REAL big on community service myself, but I do NOT think your company is right, morally or legally to do this.

And, as you said, you do your community service your way. And that's as it should be.

You said that you "clean the roads of litter." Does that include illegal signs on the telephone poles? If so, you might want to check out www.causs.org and its discussion forums.

Redstone