Christmas Work Parties

[Hoolahoophop]

Just wondering what expectations are?

Does your company pay for a works party?
Are you expected to pay yourself?

Previously we have had an office party - they put on some hot and cold buffet snacks and cold drinks (no alcohol we all drive) and a meal at a local restaurant partners included all paid for.

Is this usual?

Last year they offered a more 'team building' experience (bowling) couple of games paid for and snacks, some people went on for dinner together after but this was not paid for. - seemed a bit tight to me compared with previous years.

Just wondering what the norm was.

Thanks.

Ditto.

We all work remotely in different countries. We get the £150 party allowance in cash along with the £150 benefit in kind payment in our December salary

We have a 3 course meal with an open bar and DJ. Posh BBQ in the summer and 1 or 2 events in spring and autumn, all paid for. Last Christmas there was also a free team Christmas lunch and a nice hamper for every employee. SME. Much more generous than the big corporation I used to work for.

We have a party with free bar, only free drinks to staff ( easy to police, it's a pub ) I do buffet type food and get relief bar staff so no one misses out. I also give them a Christmas bonus and provide either live music or a disco.

I used to work in the public sector. We'd have a Christmas meal at a restaurant, at lunchtime to make it cheaper, and we'd pay for ourselves.

In my current job (private sector) we've always had a Christmas party in a function room, with free food and some wine included. Staff and partners get paid for. Last year no partners. This year no party.

I'm also NHS and we're very lucky in that the senior managers in my team club together to hire a pub function room and pay for a buffet. They also usually pay for everyone's first drink. All from their own pockets, no public money being spent.

We have two

A lunch, then a dinner on another date

Both paid

I'm only going to the lunch

We get an early finish on a Friday in December and then work pays for an activity, a meal and drinks - I reckon they usually spend about £100pp.
We also have an office Xmas party where we all bring in some food to share and exchange secret Santa gifts, work provides a glass of Prosecco each for that.

Closing at lunch on 20th December
Taking all staff out for lunch on us
Younger staff probably go on somewhere
I do love an office Christmas party

Media agency with 20 employees. We have an evening event with everything paid for - taxi to/from home, meal and all drinks throughout the night but it’s staff only, no partners. We also have a summer social, same deal as Christmas

Ours is absolutely Dickensian! Close at lunch, off to a London guild hall for four courses of silver service and matched wines. Speeches then off to a boozer, bosses card behind the bar. I live far away so my train and two nights hotel accommodation is paid by work.

I didn't used to like port but now I do 😊

My last xmas party was 2022, every year we had a meal paid for, I think the budget was £70 ph (wine and bear provided)

One year we did urban golf.

Usually additionally there was a wider department drinks do in a bar, but budget smaller although the department heads would usually contribute. There was a strict rule about only attening one sit down meal and you were only supposed to go to one department thing too.

I used to perform an additonal task that a lot of people disliked so everyone who did the task got taken to lunch a week before xmas as a thank you,

This was in finance but when I worked in TV (not BBC) xmas parties were always paid for and usually drinks in a bar.

Teacher here...we pay for a night out ourselves. This year is a meal & live band.

SLT do a mince pie/Christmas celebration one day after school too.

Ours gives £35 a head towards it plus the big boss usually puts some more money behind the bar when we are close to running out! We don't do a meal, just some nibbles and drinks, always well attended!

Any vacancies at your place, Morris??

At our work there is a dinner at a pub, or whatever the boss announces. This year they've got a mini bus & are driving two & a half hours to the beach, on a Sunday, for a pub lunch & mini golf, late home, because a favourite remote employee is there. No consultation.

We're probably the only ones not going as we're too old & grumpy to spend our weekend day on a bus, keeping kids entertained, and in employee mode. I like the free pub dinner for a couple of hours.

Last job we bought our own Christmas party lunch at a restaurant, but were given extra lunch time by our employer. It was lovely.

Retired teachers. Christmas was always a half day in my la. The morning break was extended and the CDT staff and prefects fried sausages and eggs, plonked them on rolls and the money raised went to charity. Head Teacher usually thanked people, made a wee speech and that was all. Some staff went out afterwards for lunch. The younger staff of the faculty would try to organise a night out but they wanted to get absolutely smashed and it wasn't my thing so I didn't go.

No party

we are having a ‘festive lunch’ which is paid for

I work for an EAP. First year I've been there.
They're paying for our travel and hotel stay over in Scotland (we're all scattered all over the uk, some of us down south!) And there's a training event of some sort then Xmas dinner, drinks (two paid for) and dancing.

I'm 42 and it is the first time Ive ever been to a works Xmas do as all the other times it's been inconvenient and at one's own expense and I've just not wanted to.

You're in the wrong department!

We had party, party, party. Covid or no Covid.

Happy days.

I work in a primary school, we make and pay for our own parties.

For a few years we hired a tiny village hall, decorated it, had music, games, food, but brought our own booze. It was lots of fun.
I think it cost about £10 each.

The next year we had a quiz night after school at school (no booze). That was good too, and free!

This year it might just be a pub for a drink.

My private sector jobs previously, medium and small businesses, the parties/meals were paid for.

Absolutely nothing is paid for. I won’t be going.
If I’m spending that amount of money on a meal plus drinks, taxi, then I’d rather spend it with my closest friends and family.
I have never worked anywhere where the do was paid for.

I never worked anywhere where any form of Christmas meal or party was paid for.

Boozy lunch at a nice restaurant, all paid for, no partners as during the work day. Settle up about 7pm and anyone who can handle carrying on then pays for their own drinks.

Teacher here, we have to pay for ours. We have to pay for our tea bags in the staffroom. No freebies here.