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

@DelphiniumBlue it's £150 per head

I've been working over 30 years and have never paid for a work Xmas do.

I do recall XP earning very little & then being asked to pay £50 for a work Xmas do. Compulsory to attend and he really couldn't afford it - incredible workplaces do this.

I like my colleagues too but I’m damned if I’m going to pay to spend time with them.

If I like them that much I’ll see them outside of work anyway.

I've never paid.
As you're so new, and if you can't afford it or don't want to go, you could easily say you've plans that night.

When I worked for a small company I think we paid for our own Christmas meal but one of the directors paid for our drinks.

I now work for a large worldwide company (insurance industry) and there would always be a big Christmas party paid for every year with X number of drinks vouchers per person. I never went because it really wasn't my scene. If we wanted to go on smaller team nights out (which far more people used to go to!) we had to pay ourselves.

It's actually been better WFH because now each person has a £40 budget per head, we can organise something either virtual or in person and whoever attends gets the budget.

@Gwenhwyfar

"It's a great night apparently but I won't know because nobody told me about it so I couldn't sign up and I've been scheduled to work that night"

What? There are no emails or noticeboards where you work? It's all Chinese whispers?

It's on a Facebook group that nobody will add me to.

I’m NHS so obv pay. We are going for a curry so you pay for what you order and I wouldn’t want to go for a £45 set menu thing. I am very fond of my colleagues and mostly enjoy their company but I see it as having a nice night out and paying for my own food rather than paying to spend time with them. I’m sure none of them think they are paying to spend time with me.

@Shadedog

I’m NHS so obv pay. We are going for a curry so you pay for what you order and I wouldn’t want to go for a £45 set menu thing. I am very fond of my colleagues and mostly enjoy their company but I see it as having a nice night out and paying for my own food rather than paying to spend time with them. I’m sure none of them think they are paying to spend time with me.

Same here, I’m paying for my food and drinks, I’m not paying for company.

We’ve always had to pay for our own at our work (school), I don’t go because it’s shit
Was once offered a paid for one when I worked in a pub, I declined and offered to work the night everyone was going because it was paintballing and not my cup of tea at all!

I’m in the public health system so obviously we always pay - as it happens I’ve never been because I’ve always been working!

Interested to read of employers paying for large amounts of alcohol, I would have thought that was decreasing these days.

That’s a high amount you’ve been asked to pay though. Usually the people organising are a bit more sensitive than that and it costs a lot less for us. I would expect a lot of people to decline due to cost. Is there an option to just meet up with people after the meal for a drink?

NHS, always paid. No freebies here, even have to buy our own tea and milk. This year we’ve been told we aren’t allowed a Christmas do either.

Always worked for private SMEs, never had to pay (even for pre-revenue R&D start ups). This year ours is a 3 course with champagne type do, I think there will be money behind the bar too. I started in the summer and have been to one day out (go karting then meal) and my other team have a monthly lunch expensed after our team meeting. Staff moral is great to be fair. Flipside - I only got SMP for both mat leaves so defo out of pocket overall compared with other organisations' policies!!

I also would be more than happy for NHS and other public sector staff to have a paid for do. And I wouldn't attend if I had to pay myself - I like my colleagues but prefer to spend time/money on my family and friends.

Private sector here and have never had to pay. Lavishness varies but have always had free meal plus at least some free drinks (tokens or wine/beer on table).

I didn't pay when I worked in private sector companies (finance). Since I left in my 20s I've consistently worked in public sector/charities so always paid for myself. Imagine the scandal if our Christmas parties were subsidised. It's hard enough to get support for a living wage pay rise.

Definitely depends on the sector and employer.

When I worked in optics my boss paid for a lovely meal out somewhere, drinks , disco , somewhere different each year . Independent optician gave the best treats - we went to hand picked gastro pubs , usually a set menu but amazing and he bought wine for table and expensive port for after meal .
Then worked for a chain but still had a "party to a party " type do at a fancy wedding venue . Again meal paid and some wine - rest you paid.

Now I'm in public sector. No bonus and pay for our own - some shifts organise a proper do at the racecourse with party wear and set meal and others just have a few drinks after work somewhere . I'm not stuck between two shifts and transport is a pain so I'll be swerving.

As so many pages of replies show, it depends who you work for.

As a rule of thumb if you work for a private company they are quite likely to pay (or at least 'pay towards') but if you work for "the public purse" (so in schools, the NHS, emergency services, local government, etc etc etc) then you pay for yourself.

One place I worked (public sector) the senior grades (not just managers) would buy lots of booze for the rest of us and would come round serving drinks whilst we 'worked'.

I do remember rushing to finish something with chaos all around me and a very large G&T beside me.

It was a nice gesture as they earned a lot more than us and my first year there I thought they were quite aloof and unapproachable.

I'm surprised at the posters saying the managers/most senior person should pay, or be seen as a total miser. That's been me several years. IIRC I earned about £5k more than my team, all of whom had working partners and no dependents, while I was a single mum to two small children. I could barely afford food at home some Christmases, let alone rounds of drinks or meals out for everyone!

Public sector, then charity.
I've always paid my own way.

I've never had to pay for a work party (private sector, international company). I WFH 250 miles from the office so the company also pays for my transport and two nights in a hotel

[quote Notbluepeter]@DelphiniumBlue it's £150 per head[/quote]
Yes, tax deductible for companies if it's up to £150 per head and the party is open to all employees.

No funded parties in the public sector as the Daily Fail would have endless fat cats wild parties at public expense headlines.

I've only ever not had to pay when it's a small company that are awful to work for and they know full well we wouldn't turn up otherwise.
I personally used to take my team out and pay for them somewhere because it was once a year and I could afford to but I liked my team and wouldn't have done so if I didn't!
I now wfh pt for years and the company I work for now don't even remember to invite me every year. Downsides of wfh and never being in the office I suppose. All private sector.

I've never paid. Everywhere I've worked has paid for at least a meal. Some have included travel and accommodation.

Shocked at these comments. I've never worked somewhere that I had to pay.. I barely accept invites and they're paying 😂 I would def decline in that case

@StormyCornishSeas

I've always had to pay £30 this year. If I don't pay who will? Boss might by a round if you're lucky

The company should. It should be factored into their budget. Wow. Can't believe these stingy employers!