To have walked out of my work Christmas party in favour of dining alone

I applaud this.

And I'm also going to guess you're 40+.

You walked out to post repeatedly on Mumsnet from a Turkish restaurant?

You might as well have got a takeaway at home.

If anyone asks tomorrow you could always say you had a bad headache and decided to make a quiet exit

I agree with others, it was rude OP - you should have not attended at all, but walking out is really not great at all.

In those circumstances fine really.

I'd have way more respect for somebody who left. Especially when it turned out to be especially shit. Everybody will be thinking it. You're just the only person brave enough to do it. Franky, nobody will be snubbing you, judging you or overlooking you for promotions because by the end of the night somebody will have done something much much much worse that everybody will be talking about for the next year.

Enjoy your child free evening lol

Oh wow, this is really a new low for mumsnet - you’re using ‘on the spectrum’ as an insult? What a nasty piece of work you are. I bet you’re lovely to work with.

no-one died, it's fine, but you'll get called pol pot on here if you don't climb the greasy pole smiling like you are simultaneously shitting yourself and shooting rainbows out your arse. Yes I hate this pollocks too can you tell.

You showed your face, you left. I’m sure it’s fine. Enjoy your free time 👌

I hate Christmas parties quite vigorously, but I'm a director so I had to show up to ours. It's once a year, so I slapped on some make-up and sucked it up because I'm fond of our team and they've worked really hard.

If you were an employee and deemed it too boring for you to stay, even though we'd made a huge effort to give the team a good night out on us, I wouldn't judge you in the moment - to each their own and many people don't enjoy socialising (I don't really). But it would have been better to say you couldn't make it at all, than arrive, turn your nose up and leave. I doubt senior management will have noticed but the people who have to work alongside you might have.

Still who cares, it's just a job.

Totally agree. No-one in our organisation would be the least bit bothered by this, you showed your face, if it wasn't your sort of a do why should you stay? Sure we've little enough free time, why would you want to waste it being bored in a noisy bar? As for unprofessional behaviour, it's much more likely that will be coming from some of the ones that stayed and got drunk.

Some of these replies are very odd. I agree it would be rude to walk out of a dinner the employer had paid for, but in every organisation I’ve worked in Christmas drinks are very free and easy - people come early, have one and go, come late because they had work to finish,or there’s usually a hard core who stick out the whole thing. I manage people so I tend to go early, make sure I chat to everyone briefly, buy some drinks and then fade out as they’ll have more fun if I’m not there. I wouldn’t think twice about someone leaving at 7.30. Who are these people who would and why do they care?

Just sneaking off is incredibly rude. In a new job I'd grin and bear it and make my excuses not to attend next time. Stropping off because you're bored is something my 7 year old would do.

And by "my company" I mean the one I work at, not the one I own!!

I’m not going to mine at all land I’m fairly new.
What Turkish delights did you get?

If it were my company nobody would really notice/care if it was a 50+ people occasion and there was no sit down meal.

If I were your manager and I noticed I probably would think you were a bit antisocial but I wouldn't be bothered.

On balance I don't think it would have killed you to make a little bit more effort to network and build relationships but if you don't care then....

I voted YANBU, as an introvert I 'get it'. It sounds like something where I'd rather be anywhere, even at the dentist. You showed up, you made an appearance. That's what counts. They probably lose count of whose there anyway, and maybe they thought you entered another room to talk to someone else, or something. I wouldn't overthink it. And if they do judge you? Fuck 'em! They're not worth it. If they can't even make the most basic effort to provide food, even some crisps or nibblies, barely any music, nothing except a few drinks and fuck all - then what can they expect? If this is their 'attempt' at a Christmas do (my cat could do a better job, by the sound of things), then I wouldn't bother going to any others either, to be honest.

Came here to say this.

Sounds like you did them a favour OP 👍🏼

It really depends on where you work and how many people etc. Nobody gives a fuck if people don't go to our party, they also wouldn't be upset if someone left after a short amount of time but we have a big event with food, drink and music. It'd be different if it was a small sit down dinner.

Sounds like it'd be fine but if not tell people you felt ill and slipped off as you didn't want to cause concern.

I'm team OP.

But then I'm such an introvert nobody would have noticed if I was there or not.

If it's just 50 people in a bar and no sit down meal......will anyone have ever noticed?

I would think this was rude if it was a booked meal in a restaurant but if just drinks and canapés I personally think nobody would even notice you'd gone.

Don't mention it and if anyone asks then say you didn't feel well and needed to dash home.

This

Genuinely confused
Where did OP say she arrived and immediately left? Did she announce "I HATE SMALL TALK. IM HUNGRY" in a quiet moment before flouncing off, blowing raspberries and flicking the Vs at everyone?
No.

OP stayed long enough to establish their wasn't much going on, had enough small talk to establish that's all there was, and decided to do something else whilst she had a rare child free night

I really don't get how it's somehow the end of the world "marked card" indeed.

I didn't go out once with my old work mates when I worked with them. It was as I lived a lot further than everyone else and was generally knackered at the weekends/evenings.and nobody "marked my card" in almost 7 years. In fact I've never worked anywhere where it would be a massive issue.

Now I do go on their work dos and I'm thrilled to be able to as they're great company, it just wasn't manageable for me before.