Coworker's Baby Shower

Ohhh, this pisses me right off the edge! I'd at least refuse to give a picture, I mean whether you had one available or not. It's not a work related thing and it shouldn't be expected that you participate.

My coworker sent me a simillar email asking for pics of "us & our kids & grandkids" for a photo album for a gift for an ex coworker, also without mentioning that it's voluntary. They just assume everyone wants in on this shit and it drives me to drink.

Hey, there's an idea! Maybe you should go to both parties, get really tanked and say shit like "ya know what I think about SAHM's? Well I'll tell ya'...." Then after the few weeks of uncomfortable silence in your office, nobody will ever suggest a baby shower again!

Definitely don't participate. It sounds like your manager didn't take other people into consideration when he made all the plans. Do you have a good enough relationship with him to talk to him about it and say that the restaurant is out of your price range and also explain about your lack of baby photos?

This is outrageous! They absolutely CANNOT force you to participate in something to is not work-related. Do you have a HR department? Go to them and complain.

You have every right to refuse to participate - stick to your principles. If they want every employee to go to that particular restaurant, then THEY (management) should pay the tab. And they have no right to force you to buy a gift or submit a photo. They are infringing on your privacy.

I am truly horrified for you. If you have to, just play sick and stay home in protest.

Thanks for all your comments. I knew I would be understood here. Not sure exactly how I will deal with the situation, but I'm not giving them a photo and I'm not going to this lunch! ::Grrrr::

Nour, it sounds like both your soon to be ex co-worker, and your manager, are tight wads.

If confronted with a demand for a baby picture, I'd suggest a search on Google images for the ugliest baby you can find... Print it out on a crappy B/W copier and there ya go. Extra points for a responding to any comments on the uber-ugly surrogate sprog's appearance with a Stare of Death, and perhaps a formal complaint.

As far as the lunch for the SAHMoo, I'd suggest a strategic sick day... If that's not viable, a dozen or so tablets of laxative crushed and added to the office coffeepot that morning might do the trick.

I just got a really great and excellant idea! Find a picture on google images of a baby girl/boy picking their nose! Gross of course, but then again, that's what babies do! This stupid bimbo moo-to-be will have what's comming to her!!!!!!!!!

This is awful, but find a pic of a really deformed baby, and spend the entire lunch telling graphic, bloody stories about all of the operations you have had to look like you do now.