Have just been asked to pay £45 for Xmas do

[youllneedthisfish]

Aibu to think that you shouldn’t have to pay for your own Christmas party/meal? Have just been asked for £45 for the Christmas do at the job I’ve just started (in an office) - it’s this usual? Can’t afford and embarrassed to say no

I’ve always had to pay. I stopped going years ago when I realised I didn’t actually enjoy them

I work in nursery, I’ve always had to pay towards the staff nights out. Never worked anywhere that pays for it.

It’s very easy to just not go. Every year, significant numbers don’t go, especially to events you have to fund yourself and especially to those which are costly. Simple.

Those organising Christmas events in the public sector, if you go for cheaper, you’ll make it more accessible to more people. You have a choice to go for cheap and cheerful and most people can come and afford it, or more swanky and far more will decide that in the run up to Christmas, they will have to give it a miss.

Personally, I think organisers if these parties should always think about their lowest paid team members and make it affordable for them. Isn’t it about a chance to be together socially, rather than a swanky meal for a few?

We have just had an email from our SMT telling us not to have a Christmas Party. They did acknowledge they can't prevent it given that it's our own money and our own time, but have strongly advised us against it. So we have just cancelled it. I suspect this will be the case for a lot of companies and organisations over the next few weeks

I work in a school, we pay for our own Christmas do. We pay for our own tea and coffee, we pay for our own pens!

We have to organise and pay.
I don't bother.
Fuck that.