They say that gifts should always flow upwards, but what should you do when you’re being asked to participate? Nobody likes being the squeaky wheel. Okay, maybe some people enjoy it and get some kind of pleasure out of it, but most of us just want to go with the flow. We don’t want to be known as the problematic person, especially in the workplace. It’s better to just run with the pack if you can stand whatever direction the pack is running in. But this attitude has its limits, of course. You would hate to end up in a situation where you’re being taken advantage of. You need to speak up for yourself in those types of moments. 

And if you’re not careful, those types of moments can come up a lot. That’s what happened in this story, where a young person started a new job. When you’re starting out at a new place, there is a lot you want to do to blend in. You’re picking up on the company and culture, and you’re careful not to buck the system.