To ask how much you pay for your office Christmas party (if you have one)

[Meikyo]

My work Christmas party is tonight but I decided when it was announced in September not to go as I think it is too expensive. Party is a meal and disco at a museum venue (ie not a fancy restaurant) and is £75 per head - includes 2 drinks vouchers. I reckoned that with taxis to and from venue (even sharing) and a couple of additional drinks then cost would be over £100. Organisation is publicly funded so no contribution from company - whole cost to be paid by staff which is fair enough. However, out of a total staff of 25, 10 are not going...not sure if down to cost. I would rather spend the money on presents for my family instead. What does your office party cost you?

ours is free and an open bar from 1pm til 8pm..
I can't bardly wait!

I work in a small business and the boss usually takes us all out for lunch, and pays everything.

DH works in the public sector and we went for his team night out last week. Adding up the meal, drinks, cheap hotel and more drinks it came to around £200 for us both. That's a LOT for us but we'd started putting money away in September. It was a great night and our second night away together in 5 years. Worth every penny :)

QOD :(

We just have to pay for drinks - meal and first drink paid for.

Ours is free - apparently we're not allowed champagne or doubles though.

I've never paid for a "main" party but have done smaller celebrations with teams/friends where we've self-funded.

Best one ever was when I lived in London and fell asleep under the reception desk the next day.

We just have to pay for drinks at the bar at our work party - meal is paid for by the company, and some free drinks are set out on the tables (I think it was 4 bottles of wine and 5 bottles of beer per table of 10 IIRC).

We're lucky to be getting a free Christmas do though, a lot of people I know outside my company have to contribute towards theirs.

Our party is always free with no restrictions. Can't imagine asking anybody to pay for their Christmas treat. Surely paying defeats the object. Nobody would go out with their workmates who they see every day - and don't necessarily get on with - if they had to pay anything.

Our company give us £5 each

I have never paid anything for work do, but having been SAHM for most of this recession, am thinking fondly of the good old days...

However, BIL works for firm of surveyors, and having big slap up dinner/dance thing in Park Lane hotel for employees and partners, food and drink paid for, sounds good you say? Yes, but no transport or overnight accommodation and many of the staff live in the South West. So, several hundred pounds minimum, even for cheap train plus low budget hotel. And even BIL and SIL who live within easy travel of London, either cheap but antisocial last train home before 11 or £70 taxi. It's these hidden costs which make it difficult to accept something truly generous - and then risk being feeling like bah humbug.

Mine was free. Meal & drinks & free bar all night at posh hotel. Taxi home cosy me £12

I have a smallish budget to take team out but all are invited,temporary & permanent. We all knew the budget & I'd said that beyond that we split it between the drinkers (knew the budget would sort out the soft drinks) but at the end of the night,when the bill came to me. Everyone said thanks,bye,no offer of anything towards it. I paid the extra £80. In reality,I very probably would have paid that anyway but felt a bit suprised only my assistant manager offered me anything.

We contribute $25 each, they do it so people commit to going. The company spend 40-50k on the party though. All night drinks, 3 course meal, entertainment and DJ, and taxis home. It's tomorrow, I can't wait!

Mine is free. Small independant company, this year and last we were taken to a hotel, had a 4 course meal, followed by dancing til 2am, then an overnight stay and breakfast next morning. Includes use of the spa and partners are invited too.

I luffs my job, and my boss, they are both ace. (And I only work 16 hours per week!)

Nothing! Work pay, housing association, but it's nothing too flashy! When I worked in recruitment it was also paid for but much more glam!

£300.
But I'm the boss and I pay for the other 5

This year my team of 40 are going to the pub, there will be a tab and some kind of buffet food.

Paid for by company, plus some cash put in by the partners.

My old department was 100ish people and we used to do a formal sit down meal in a hotel or similar with a couple of bottles of wine on the table. Paid for by company, partners not putting anything towards it.

Ours is free but we are expected to make a minimum of £10 donation which is then matched by the company & goes to the charity nominated by the Xmas quiz winner. They raised 3 grand at this year's do.

It was a 3 course meal and a free bar.

I have never paid for a work do, when I worked for a big company it was all on them, including transport, plus sometimes partners. I worked for a small company and again, they paid but on a much smaller scale.

I'm pretty sure I had to pay a small amount for the NHS do's I used to go to in the UK - but it was very small, around a fiver.
Never had to pay for a works do since then, including last night, DH's works do in Sydney - cruise boat, buffet meal, all drinks and the hotel stay included (large multinational company, if that makes any difference).

When I worked as a self-employed therapist though, I did pay for the meal out with the other people in the clinic - but that's slightly different. Wouldn't have dreamed of shelling out £75 for it though!

zero - free meal and free bar.

DH's organisation (a sort of partnership) has a dinner/dance - this year they had gaming tables for a bit of fun - and the "partners" pay for everybody else. There is champagne beforehand and the wine flows freely with one liquer/brandy, etc., after - then there is a free bar. Interestingly nobody seems to take the mick. Everyone gets a little hamper for Xmas too.

My work - public sector - we had a dinner that came to £34.50 (which was pricy for some part-time staff and made me feel guilty but it was what the majority wanted). I am the deputy in the department. There were 14 from my department. I bought 4 bottles of wine for the table. My boss who earns £20k more than me and has no children bought nothing.

£30 each for us. In the public sector but a bit with lots of rich ex-banker types who pick up the drinks bill for all of us.

£10 per person, we are living it up in a cheap Indian restaurant. Should be fun...