I received an invite for an out-of-office activity next friday afternoon. The reason I'd like to decline is because I do not like at all the activities that are organized and I had no say in it. Officially, nobody is forced to go and the alternative is to stay at work. I would honestly prefer working and not get behind in my end-of-the-month tasks than going there. However, I fear that it will be perceived very negatively as it really is saying that I prefer working alone at my desk than being with them. Is there any profesionnal way to decline team-building activities without burning bridges or is it just one of those times where you have to suck it up ? Edit: This is different from http://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/31536/how-to-decline-participation-in-team-building-activities where OP absolutely wanted to decline such activities *because he could not bring his girlfriend*.