Work Christmas Lunch - Truth or a Lie re. Attendence

I’d be so pissed off if my Xmas do was in spoons 😂🤷‍♀️

Id rather be at home. Guarantee half of them cancel on the day because they can’t be arsed to make an effort for spoons.

Totally depends on whether you will enjoy it once there, and will the more junior staff benefit from some informal time with you too? If so, £40 is pretty much par for the course. If you don’t want to go, then don’t.

I wouldn’t lie - if several did that they might then amend the date!! White lies can backfire…..

£40 seems very reasonable to me. If it's not reasonable to you then don't go.

I am glad this had a positive outcome.

My dh work is the same £30 to attend a meal no drinks he's not going he's told his boss no they actually didn't seem happy about it when he declined

It's not the talking about money as much as feeling the need to announce you aren't going and why when other people have organised it. Honestly it's so cringe, you just know their group chat is popping off.

So you moaned last year that theyd arranged something for £60, this year you didn't bother to organise everything yourself but they arranged something for £40 and you moaned again and then they all agreed to go to Spoons? If they'd been bothered about you attending surely they'd have reacted to your feedback from last year and spoke to you before they organised this year? Also impressive it was possible to make a booking so late and get away without having to make a deposit for the booking at this time of year. Presumably the people who arranged the £40 meal and those who agreed to go were excited for it- sorry but I don't buy people were only going to please you when they didn't even know you were going. This is very much giving higher management vibes and a good reason people don't often to bother inviting them.

Honestly if you did gather your team to explain you couldn't go because of the cost is extremely cringe. It would have been embarrassing to feel the need to tell them all anyway.

What about the people who organised it and chose the £40 menu?

Sorry, assumed they'd planned earlier! Good for you. You often find that once one person says something others feel the same. Hope you have a lovely time.

Of course this happened 😂

I think the time to have been honest was when it was first mooted and before it took hold. I agree it's a lot of money and leads to pressure on people and I think that probably needed saying by someone with a bit more seniority at the off set. You won't be the only one who feels this way, and someone needs to say. That said, it's too late now really as it's all no doubt booked and arranged, so probably at this point I'd just say I wasn't going then speak up next year.

was reading this the exact same way as an EO *misses the point of the thread entirely haha

I would just say you are not going - you don't need a reason and if they ask then you can say it is more than I want to spend although I appreciate it can be difficult to find somewhere inexpensive but nice at this time of year.
I'm not going to my work's meal and it is paid for and at a nice place. They just asked for us to let them now re numbers for booking and we just replied with if we were going or not.

Did I?????😂😂

Well thank you so much for educating me. Your good deed done for the day ❤️

You were the one who made the snarky response - if you're rude to people, expect them to be rude back. Good life lesson for you.

But that's the inherent problem when these things are self funding.
Go for cheapest option. Everyone moans about it. Go for middle option everyone moans. Go for expensive option everyone moans.
Those that never go to anything moan the loudest.
If you don't want to go, invent a clash of something immovable like a hospital appt.

😂 who pissed on your cornflakes.

Clearly you don't have a clue either.
i stoped reading after this

Yanbu not to go. Just say 'sorry, I can't make it this year but hope you all have a lovely time'.

Yabu to mention the cost. £40 really isn't that expensive for a Christmas lunch. It's basic supply and demand. A lot of people eat out with friends & colleagues in the run up to Christmas. Ergo restaurants can charge more for their Christmas menus. Round our way they still get heavily booked up, so they have priced it about right. You'll sound like a prat if you comment on it, especially as you are one of the higher earners.

Public sector! You can’t spend tax payers money on parties.

Always in the public sector. As above, we don't even get a hot drink provided in a day of work!

Can you imagine the fall out, great DM story of public sector workers partying at the tax payers expense, especially as my LA has huge deficits created by the Conservative Gov cuts.

In fact, we are not even allowed to ‘party’ at lunch time on a week day for fear of claims of misuse of time. So no team Christmas lunch for us!

In London it’s impossible to find a place for less than £40

Some of the younger colleagues really value the social occasion. Many have missed out on office socialising, networking and relationship building (especially with senior staff) due to the pandemic and ensuing shift to WFH, hybrid.

In the main, young staff in office based jobs don’t get the same amount of interaction with colleagues in their organisation post Covid - and this is bad for their development, happiness, and talent retention. As well as interpersonal relationships in the workplace.

So - if you can afford it, I would go but maybe volunteer to take on the organisation next year and set up a Canadian picnic in the office kitchen or similar.

I am an HEO and our Christmas meal is £30.95 for 3 courses, £25.95 for 2 and £20.95 for 1. I thought £31 seemed quite a lot so I’m having 2 courses. I won’t eat the whole of my 2 courses anyway so paying more for 3 would be daft. I’m in the SW.

It has been organised by the EOs and there will be another couple of HEOs and a Grade 7 there as well.

I don’t mind paying for myself. I am unsure if I have ever had a paid for Christmas work meal in my life? Maybe when I worked for Tesco briefly? I can’t remember.

I don’t begrudge paying it though as I love my colleagues and we all get on very well and are friends in ‘real life’ as well as work.

Yes my work tried to orgnise a Christmas dinner, £40-50 quid and that does not include drinks etc.

Guess what, it got cancelled as many people opted out.

I rather spend that money on going out with my own family.