A 34-year-old IT professional from India recently shared on Reddit how his manager’s son’s first birthday party turned from a casual invitation into a full-fledged office event. “What should be a casual ‘come if you want’ thing has turned into a full-blown office event. One of my colleagues is even going to host part of the party,” the user wrote, questioning why such personal milestones often feel mandatory for employees. The user even added, “It’s a baby’s birthday, not a corporate offsite.”.
A Cultural Divide Over Invitations
The post sparked a debate on workplace culture in India. One user commented, “I didn’t even call my manager for my wedding (genuine miss) and he couldn’t fking care less. Depends on the individual workplace setting. Not a common thing.”
Meanwhile, another perspective highlighted inclusivity, with a commenter writing, “They are basically a colleague and its upto a person whether to include someone in their personal milestone like a wedding. I see them multiple times a week and have respectful interactions, and would want them to be part of attendees.”
Drawing the Line Between Work and Personal Life
Others stressed the importance of boundaries. “I don’t involve my office colleagues in any function of mine nd I don’t expect to be invited even..I feel there should be boundaries,” a Reddit user stated. Another added, “I would have declined. Regardless of what level she’s at. Can’t force me to give my personal time for her personal parties.”
However, some felt the invites were harmless. One commenter shared, “It might not be a wrong thing, in big projects some people are working together for decades, also in general we invite all people here in India so I don’t see an issue if the manager invited the whole team. You can give some excuse or go, your choice but I believe there is no harm in socializing a little. I declined few invitation and went in few but I mostly remember the once I attended because after certain period of time you remember people as friend and not as work colleagues.”
In the end, the debate reflects a broader cultural question—where should the line between workplace camaraderie and personal time be drawn?