"This is an abuse of power. It is never OK to ask someone subordinate to you to give you (or your family) money, gifts, babysitting services, dog-watching services, hiring preferences, or other favors. As your letter shows, employees do not have, or at least do not believe they have, the option to refuse. Your boss is obviously keeping track of who buys what, since that information is necessary to distribute the over-priced wrapping paper,"
"Rather than doing any of that themselves, the kids have daddy handling their responsibilities, which is a bad lesson all around. Let's not forget the school's culpability, too. Chronic underfunding is no excuse for pitting kids (and parents) against one another while pushing what is clearly a religious holiday, even if the wrapping paper isn't covered with images of Baby Jesus in a manger."
A manager is pressuring employees to purchase holiday wrapping paper to help his elementary-school child win a classroom sales contest, turning a fundraiser into an implicit workplace demand. The practice constitutes an abuse of power because subordinates are expected to give money or favors and feel unable to refuse. The manager appears to track individual purchases to distribute overpriced items at employees' desks, creating visible, quantifiable signs of loyalty. The arrangement undermines the pedagogical aims of fundraising by shifting responsibilities to a parent. The school’s chronic underfunding contributes to the problem and the fundraiser raises concerns about promoting a religious holiday.
Read at Slate Magazine
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