My coworkers have started charging a cancellation fee for lunch plans.
By @sagetbh · Work
A few people on my team are trying to make a $5 'cancellation fee' a thing if you bail on group lunch plans less than an hour ahead of time. Some think it's fair, others think it's insane.
The full story
It started because one person on our team is perpetually flaky. He'll RSVP 'yes' to a lunch spot that needs reservations and then bail 15 minutes before, citing a sudden 'urgent email.' It's annoying. But the solution, proposed by my deskmate, is a $5 Venmo request for any cancellation inside of 60 minutes. Her argument is that it pressures people to commit or just say no. Yesterday, someone had to cancel because our boss pulled her into an unscheduled meeting. The fee-proposer still sent her a $5 request. The person paid it, but the vibe has been unbelievably tense ever since.
How people voted
- Side A — 30% (18 votes)
- Both — 40% (24 votes)
- Side B — 30% (18 votes)
Readers are split: “Both” leads with 40% — 60 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@maeliterally — Charging a coworker because the boss pulled them into a meeting is just insane, what a terrible way to treat people.
@paigelol — paying that is soft
@tateactually — You shouldn't need a financial penalty to get people to keep their word.
@codysorta — I wonder how many times the flaky person ruined a reservation before this rule was created.
@sortakinda — i love this actually they should make it $10
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