Christmas office parties with a diverse workforce

[mids2019]

Work forces have a diverse range of religions within the workforce. In my role I now see that there is maybe a little.questioning of how to frame the Christmas do as Christmas is a festival originated by Christians and so may feel a little exclusive given we do not have a departmental organised Eid or Divali celebration. Should the office Christmas do be reframed as the end of year party slightly divorced from Christmas as a celebratory period? (The office do also brings question of whether an alcohol fee venue may be appropriate which can get a bit contentious.)

Someone upthread mentioned having to host parties in strictly no alcohol venues else the more religious members would refuse to attend. That isn't ok, everyone can be catered to but if one's strong religious beliefs extends to controlling what other people do then how is that inclusive?

I love hearing about my friends' religious festivals and gatherings - I don't expect them to rename anything or make changes to suit me or the country we live in. Why is so much thought put into changing Christmas or Christian traditions. To be fair, none of my Muslim, Hindu or Jewish friends have any problem with attending Christmas parties and do not care what they're called. They have their traditions and I have mine. Simple.

A few of the companies I've worked for and done work for have a company policy of no alcohol to be consumed during working hours and this extends to parties as they are considered a working environment by employment tribunals/courts.

So if it is normal in the company not to have employees consume alcohol during working hours whether there is a policy or not, booking strictly no alcohol venues isn't controlling.

I agree that peop me don't need to attend Christmas parties but if it is work place sanctioned doesn't it look like a bit of a snub not turning up?
Why is it a snub?
I gave up work parties 15 years ago and it's only had a positive affect on my life.
I'm not snubbing anyone.

"A few of the companies I've worked for and done work for have a company policy of no alcohol to be consumed during working hours and this extends to parties as they are considered a working environment by employment tribunals/courts.

So if it is normal in the company not to have employees consume alcohol during working hours whether there is a policy or not, booking strictly no alcohol venues isn't controlling."

That doesn't have anything to do with what I was referring to in my post though.

I meant to add. It was in reference to individuals who's attendance pivoted on whether others would be drinking. And I say that regardless of the religion/culture of the person in question. Your personal beliefs should not impinge on other people, no matter how frivolous it may seem.

aetheist here. Used to love a work Christmas party.

(Though my idea of hell now 😁)

Do allow non-Christians and non-British to enjoy observing the Native Customs as you eat traditional foods, dance traditional dances, and sing traditional songs! Everyone else is expected to serve up their culture that way...

"But if the First Minister is a Muslim, surely he wouldn't be able to attend his own events if alcohol was served?"

Why? What would be stopping him from attending his own events?

Because if he is a strict Muslim he should not attend events where alcohol is served.

No muslim, jew, sikh, hindu, buddist or follower of any other religion has ever objected to Christmas celebrations. It's something dreamed up by right wing papers and social media bigots to try and turn white middle england against minorities. Don't jump on the bandwagon. Just go ahead and have a Christmas party. You'll find those that follow another religion and those that follow none will want to come as much as the minority of your colleagues who actually attend church.

"Because if he is a strict Muslim he should not attend events where alcohol is served."

He's also a grown man and a prominent political figure who understands that few people around him share his beliefs and is perfectly capable of being in a room with another person who is consuming meat or a glass of wine.

There is nothing preventing ultra religious people from attending anything, other than themselves.

I think a party organised by a workplace should be accommodating to those who don't drink alcohol, but also those with caring responsibilities etc. For example, I have colleagues who wouldn't go to a pub but they are happy to go to a restaurant for lunch where there is alcohol available but the focus is on the food. And having it at lunch is much easier for those who have to do pick ups etc.

I think you'll see that blaming the right wing for everything isn't going to cut it any more.
The people most forceful in their opinions are on the far left. I say that as a disillusioned left winger.

It's ridiculous to say 'no Hindu Muslim Jew etc has ever opposed' because you're lumping all those people into one lump with one opinion. There are undoubtedly people who won't like it (but so what, everyone doesn't have to be included in everything). But saying that, the idea of objecting to Christmas (among other things) on the grounds of "inclusivity" is 💯 coming from 'white knight' virtue signallers who are more interested in gaining their kudos than they are about different communities/cultures coming together and having a good time.

Do the Christmas party as a Christmas Party.

There is no need to tweak it to make it inclusive for all. Thats impossible.

Whoever wants to attend, will do so. And those that dont wont.

No is offended by Christmas Parties or any other parties or events and what they entail as long as they are not forced to go. Attendance should be voluntary.

What is offensive is when people try to change things like this in the name of inclusivity because they 'think' it will be offensive to others. But really the 'diverse workforce' you speak of couldnt care less.

Assume the OP is a joke?

The party is called a Christmas Party. It is not law to attend.

Alcohol is available at Christmas Parties. It is not law to drink it.

First, I want to start by saying that of course Britain is a Christian country, we have Christianity as our official state religion, it's ludicrous to live in the UK and object to the celebration of a Christian holiday, and I certainly have no issue with Christmas or Christmas parties.

However the idea that Christmas is secular, or that "everyone" celebrates Christmas, is just plain wrong. I'm a religious minority and I don't celebrate Christmas, no one in my family celebrates Christmas, I know tons of people who absolutely would never dream of celebrating Christmas because to us, it's 100% a religious Christian holiday. It IS a religious holiday. The fact some people chose to celebrate it in a secular way doesn't make it not a religious holiday. Tons of non-practicing Jews celebrate Hanukah in a way that's completely secular (Hanukah actually is a very minor Jewish holiday) but I'm very sure there'd be outrage on MN if people were expected/pressured into celebrating Hanukah and were told "no it's fine, Hanukah is secular!"

There's also a really brutal history of minorities feeling that they had no choice but to celebrate Christmas and to adopt supposedly "secular" Christian traditions for fear that if they didn't, they would be rejected and suffer consequences. I personally have suffered reprisals such as being ostracized and being the target of racist comments just for saying that I personally don't celebrate Christmas, and I was born in the UK. My great-grandparents were refugees who'd literally had to leave everything they owned and run for their lives to escape a genocide. I can't imagine the overwhelming trauma and the pressure on them to assimilate and pretend to be something they were not to avoid more violent oppression.

A lot of posters are ignoring the fact that some minorities only celebrate Christmas because they've been forced into it via the pressure to assimilate.

Celebrate Christmas however you like! But don't pressure others or tell us that it's secular.

There's a certain type of person who loves nothing more than to tie themselves up in knots over things like this. I can sense you salivating at the opportunity to have your moment in the sun.

This is an incredibly nasty comment and sheer bullying. I've reported it.

It's not an issue. I'm Jewish and like most non Christian people accept that this is, nominally, a Christian country. Christmas is a cultural rather than religious thing for most people here, so there's nothing offensive or exclusionary about it. At worst it's a bit tiresome hearing constantly for a month about all the Xmas things that you and your family aren't doing, but I can live with that!

"I'm very sure there'd be outrage on MN if people were expected/pressured into celebrating Hanukah and were told "no it's fine, Hanukah is secular!""

But no one is forced to celebrate anything they don't want to, we're saying like it or not you have to accept that it's a huge cultural tradition in this country and we're free to continue to celebrate it.

No one should feel forced to partake in religious festivals, however of course we should all assimilate to the culture of the country we choose to reside in.

No. That's it. No.

Every employer I have worked for has had a diverse staff. Every one has had a Christmas Party and nobody, of any religious pursuasion (or none at all) ever felt the need - so far as I am aware - to turn down the chance of free booze and food at the company's expense. You are really over-thinking this.

Are you Jewish? Because we absolutely are forced/coerced into celebrating things we don't want to, and if you are not Jewish please stop speaking for us.

You can't on the one hand say "no one should be forced" then on the other say "you MUST assimilate."

No one should be forced to assimilate, and the history of forced assimilation is very violent and brutal.

I was born here, my parents were born here, all four of my grandparents were born here. My family have lived in this country for 130 years. I consider myself 100% British. But I still don't celebrate Christmas in my own personal life and I get so much racism and shit thrown at me because of it.

*like it or not you have to accept that it's a huge cultural tradition in this country and we're free to continue to celebrate it."

No one is trying to stop you!! Who do you think it's trying to stop you from celebrating Christmas? This idea that evil minorities are stealing Christmas by "refusing to assimilate" is just complete race-baiting nonsense. Literally, my very first post was saying that it's stupid to live in a Christian country where Christmas is near-universally celebrated and often perceived by many as secular and object to Christmas.

The point is no one does object to Christmas, we just object to being forced to do things we don't want to do, and accused of things we haven't done or said for simply wanting to be left alone.