Work Christmas do

[Sparklesandspandexgallore]

Hi,

Just thought I’d start a conversation about how others feel about their work’s Christmas do.
I won’t be going to mine- again.
Reasons:

1. there is zero employer contribution. All employees pay for absolutely everything themselves.
2. It falls on my birthday weekend so I’ve made plans to do something else.
3. my work bestie refuses to go.
4. I’m not close enough to those that go to warrant spending £££ on an evening out with them.
5. the last one I attend, I ended up having to sit next to a new employee whom I had never met. It was ok but bearing in mind I had to pay for the entire evening, I did feel miffed that I couldn’t sit on the same table where my closest work colleagues were seated.

How dues anyone else feel?
I imagine if the event us free it makes a difference.

I go as its paid for, I wouldn’t if it wasnt.

Paying for your own Christmas do is common in many sectors - I’ve never had one paid for.

I tend to go if I can and don’t have other plans. It’s not a big deal if someone misses it though 🤷🏼‍♀️

I often feel like we are pressurised into going to these events. It’s the same throughout the year. Nothing is ever paid for and it’s always in our own time. Feel like I make excuses but it falling on my birthday and being away is enough of an excuse for me.

Ours are paid for but even if we had to pay ourselves I'd go, my colleagues are great fun and on the odd occasion I haven''t been able to go I've been a bit gutted. This os the first job where it has been paid for, always paid our own everywhere else but always gone and enjoyed them.

I've always paid for mine (teacher!) but just don't go if you don't want to. You've already got birthday plans.

I do go out with a group of work colleagues. We make our own plans through the year.

There is no need for all of the excuses just say you don’t want to go.

I work remotely in a team that is across the country so no Christmas do here

We have had to pay for ours for the last couple of years, however it is typically a pub lunch at the end of a team meeting so in work time so I don’t mind going. I like most of my colleagues which also helps.

I'd also say if you're not going to enjoy it don't go, no one will mind and no one wants you to be miserable. Have a good birthday weekend instead.

I do feel that management want to force fun on us. They know the job is stressful and often arrange ‘socials’ as a means to justify the stress if that makes sense. Yet again, always planned in our own time.

I have always paid (another teacher) but I generally don’t go. I live rurally, so have to drive and tbh if I am spending an evening with certain colleagues, I’d need a drink. I tell them all to have a good time and then I have a quiet evening at home. When I was younger I went to everything , now I am older and less tolerant, there are some people I expect to be paid for spending time with. I use the money I would have spent to go out with my actual friends.

I’ve never worked anywhere it wasn’t paid for. that’s so cheap wtf

id never go if it cost me money

Maybe they know the job is stressful and are trying to counteract that not force fun on you. My last job was really stressful but I still enjoyed the Christmas dos (in our own time organised and paid by us) because it was nice to spend time with colleagues in a low stress way for a change. You iust aboid anyone you don't get on with.

We pay for ours. It is a late lunch, so that people can come within the work day. It carries on informally until late, but some leave at 5pm. We usually either get to sit where we like or sometimes there is a seating plan but we choose our own tables beforehand so you can sit with the people you choose. I have made friends at work, so I enjoy it. They do try to keep the costs as low as possible, so it's not a crazy amount of money.

pigglywiggly that’s how I feel.
Don't get me wrong if management said ‘ We are closing the office the Friday before Christmas and going for a pub lunch.’ Then yeah, I’d be in, but going in my own time and paying for it is less appealing. Plus being sat next to a stranger ( albeit he was fine) has meant I haven’t attended since.

We get a contribution towards it. I always go as it's good fun and I get on well with my colleagues

Forced fun is the right expression and why I have always disliked work Christmas occasions, even from a young age. Spend your money on your own birthday weekend and have fun with people you know and love.

If your job is publicly funded e.g. NHS, teacher etc, it's often considered bad form to basically use public money to pay for people to celebrate. That's the reasoning at our work anyway.

So you’d be happy for university tuition fees to be spent on a Christmas do for thousands of staff?? That would make a huge dent in university finances! Especially when we’re all so unbelievably skint as it is.

Not everyone works for a private company and the general public don’t tend to like it when you use their money for parties.

Our company is mean generally. Our Christmas “bonus” is a £10 gift card for the store & the meal is never paid for. It’s not really my scene anyway as I don’t drink, plus I get on with my colleagues but don’t work closely with most of them.

Go or don’t go , its your choice and nobody really cares
I always go ,but I love a Christmas party and have lots of friends at work

Public sector job here so I'd have to pay for it myself. I work in local government in an affluent area so a lot of my team are wealthy - Christmas Do ends up being at steak restaurants or posh afternoon tea. I can't afford it so I don't go.

We’re so spoilt at my company, we get a paid for meal and an activity. In fact we get something once every 3 months!

I have worked places that made the staff pay, I mostly didn’t bother, but I’m not much of a drinker and they nearly always involved cocktail making/pub crawls

I get a budget per head and last year took my staff out for what was supposed to be a meal, opened a tab and it turned into a free for all and they were all just drunk, not sure much food was ordered, there was no interaction they were just in their little clicks, i won't be doing it again

One of the things I miss most now I am
self employed is the Christmas Do.