AITA for asking my manager to not throw me a birthday celebration?
Hey everyone,
I work at a pretty small nonprofit. We do environmental-type work to keep it vague. There are 10 full-time employees. Nine of these 10 employees work in an open office space together. They are all very close. I, unfortunately, am the outlier here. I work in a separate room on a separate floor. The reason for this is that I work in a lab space; they do not. I have been working here full time for close to two years. This entire time I have really struggled making relationships with the people “downstairs” since I see them maybe once or twice a week at most. I am constantly being left out of team lunches and important conversations. It really sucks, and I have been looking for new places of employment.
So my dilemma... It is my birthday on Thursday, and per tradition, my managers throw a party for everyone’s birthday. Last year my birthday celebration was super awkward because I really do not talk to anyone on a daily basis — not even my immediate supervisor. Last year we all just stood around in silence. Usually everyone recalls a funny memory or event over the past year to commemorate the person whose birthday we are celebrating. But no one had any memories to recall with me. I just wanted to leave the party. I wouldn’t say I work in a toxic environment, but I just feel chronically left out.
So would I be the AH if I requested not to have a birthday celebration this year?