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

It was just a stupid, boring party. It wasn’t water boarding or a 1930’s Germany refresher course, was it. They weren’t forcing you to watch torture films or xxx rated perverted sex films.
It was just one of many dumb boring office parties you’ll be asked to attend in your career.
Or - you could apply to work at that Turkish restaurant - they don’t have office parties, but they do have lots of dishes to wash.
Think it over.

This thread has given me quite a few laughs.

I don't understand why the OP is being told she was rude. Context is everything. She works for a global company with 50+ people attending a drinks party not well organised regarding food, and it's doubtful anyone would have noticed she was gone when she's new in the company.

It'd be different if she worked in a small family company with 5-6 employees. Her leaving would have been rude in that case.

I think what has many posters reacting is her "I don't give a f**ck" attitude LOL.

Why do I keep reading posts from people bragging about shitty rude behaviour? It's not something I'd be showing off about to be honest.

This whole thread is hysterical - so wildly judgmental!!

I think you should have said you were leaving (to your manager or close colleague or the person responsible for organising) just so nobody thinks you've collapsed in the toilet or been abducted while having a cigarette. You don't need to give a complicated reason for leaving, just "Thanks for organising, nice to meet the team, got to go now". If you waited a bit longer, till more folk were drunk, then your departure would be less noticeable.

Sounds lovely please drop the restaurant name!

You’re an adult, do what you want. I’ve left places early without saying anything. Unless your colleagues are bitchy and two-faced they probably don’t care. You made the effort and showed up. Although I usually get a feel for things and know when I won’t have a good time so I wouldn’t have went in the first place. Bit risky making a thread about it too as you have no idea who could see it 🙈

Maybe they are; maybe the OP is. I still don't see the point of this thread. What's the OP expecting? (Well apart from the rather silly back slapping.

Surely you left tonight as you weren’t feeling well…which means that regretfully you probably won’t be feeling much better tomorrow? 🤔

Literally came to say the same thing.

OP you sound obnoxiously proud of yourself for being utterly mannerless.

Do you know these people? Maybe they are dull.

Good on you - would have done the same!

You sound unbearable

Still a bit rude not to mention she was leaving early and to be very ungrateful about being invited.

These things are generally more of a command, or at the very least an expectation, to attend. She spent an hour and a half of her own time, unpaid, no food in sight and 50 people at a bar with the odd bit of music, then departed. It's not like it was a long banqueting table where her absence would leave an obvious hole, and she didn't flounce out dramatically.

Good for her. Those saying she's smug, rude, arrogant etc - keep in mind she's venting here and not to her colleagues. Perfectly reasonable to leave quietly, have a meal elsewhere, and go home.

Wish I'd done that on many similar occasions!

In the context of a drinks event of 50 people, staying for an hour and a half and leaving at 7.30 isn't rude, unreasonable or noteworthy.

It's after work hours and people can and do have perfectly valid reasons for leaving at 7.30. As an employer I wouldn't think anything of it.

What is bizarre is making a drama out of it with this self- congratulatory thread. The sneering about how dull everyone else was is unpleasant.

You stayed an hour and a half. That’s perfectly reasonable in my book. You didn’t just walk in, chat for 5 minutes, and leave. (Though I’ve attended parties where I was sorely tempted to do just that!)

How long do the YABU people expect to stay at such events? Isn’t the point to put in an appearance and leave when you’re ready? It wasn’t a formal sit down dinner or an intimate gathering.

I think that's really rude of you and I know several managers who would definitely be pissed off. You've certainly marked your card and sent them a clear message about what you think of their hospitality. 7.30 isn't late, I think you should have made an effort with new colleagues or not attended in the first place.

why? She gets paid to do a job, not to socialise.

Yes I agree, there is absolutely no pressure or expectation to stay out of paid hours. But I think it’s manners to make an effort with colleagues/clients especially within a job that requires teamwork and networking, if you’ve said you’ll attend an event and then leave early or cancel without enough notice it can be seen as rude. It’s the attitude that a can’t quite explain, but always seems selfish and ungrateful always takes, picks what suits her but never gives or never considers others or their feelings. A bit like the op being ungrateful of the event , wasn’t to her taste so just left.

this case it was different though , I didn’t see the update till after I posted.
If were 50 people and she’d been an hour and a half, still no food, that’s fine to go eat if you’re starving after working all day. I did update to say she’s wasn’t unreasonable in this situation. Still a bit rude not to mention she was leaving early and to be very ungrateful about being invited.

*didn’t quote poster I was replying to

God, I'm glad I don't work for you. You sound ridiculously self-important. 'Furious' because a colleague left a party early because they weren't feeling up to it. Do you work in PR? They're always very up themselves.

Tomorrow I would just say that I wasn't feeling well so went home early and you're still not feeling well so you won't be going tomorrow night either.

There's also the unpleasant tone of superiority about how dull every one else was.

and dull dull small talk, which, to be honest, was never my strong suit. God it bored the absolute tits off me