Social events, why are people so fickle?

[Vintagecrap]

Its just so very frustrating.
I ( as part of a tiny team of 3 ) organised a big work summer party. Had to do it on the cheap, so we worked really hard and put a lot of our own work in making things like stocks, and coconut shys by hand.

Last years summer party wasnt well attended, maybe 25 people went at a cost of £2K. Feedback was that it was too expensive £5 to go and they had to buy their own drinks, that they couldnt bring anyone and that it was too drink centered. Work sets up a team of people o deal with this, we take it on board and organise a big family friendly party for free where people can bring their own booze if they want.
Attendance was better, but only because the people that did come brought people with them. 75% of people that said they were coming did not turn up. We have lost tons of money as we had paid for catering for the people who said they were coming.

Its incredibly annoying.

Same as if you organise a night out, sure as anything somone will pull out at the last moment and you will be left wondering if you should just cancel the whole thing.

I cannot tell you how angry I get when people RSVP and don't turn up.

It's do bloody rude.

I never do it, even if it rather cut my toenail with my teeth than attend an event I've accepted an invitation to, I still turn up and make the best out of it.

I feel your pain.

A big work summer party would be my idea of hell, I know people can say no but may feel pressurised into saying yes. Like infinity I would rather socialise with my family and own friends.

Yes, I agree that the low attendance just shows that people don't want to socialise with work colleagues.

a lot of people hate work-related socialising and feel obliged to say they're going, but can't face it when it comes to it - they feel they've seen enough of their colleagues at work as it is!

I would do some kind of anonymous survey about it, try to find out why people pulled out at the last minute. If it is a big company the organisers may appear to be very anonymous and so people don't think or care about the work that's gone into it as much as if it's a close colleague.

Crap, but that's the reality. People have very different ideas about what they want from such a thing - when I go out with colleagues it's in the evening and we go to the pub. I would hate any kind of organised event such as you describe.

D something more low key such as a pay for yourself meal out in a group, possibly subsidised by work only if any funds set aside.
I would never attend big party or Ball etc

I agree, but its something as a workplace that we have to do. There has to be a summer party and there has to be a Christmas party.

Non negotiable.

Just feels like you cant win really, and then people that have lost out are the people that have put hours and hours of their own time ( not in work time) to put something on for everyone.

I don't understand how a party was thrown at a cost of £2k for 25 people who also had to pay £5 to go, and to buy their own drinks.

Is morale low in your company? When there has been poor attendance at company parties where I've worked, morale has been pretty low and the last thing people have wanted to do is spend time having 'fun' with their colleagues.

At one place where we'd recently been told that no one was getting a pay rise that year because of some board-level cock-up, they made the company summer event during the work day, cancelled all leave so you had to go, made it a fancy dress barbecue thing, and it rained. That was hell.

I always find if you charge people to go then those who have paid always turn up, but when you offer it free, then they often don't turn up.

So don't do it. I wouldn't.

I think people do feel pressured into saying yes to these things, when really they'd probably rather not attend, as it eats into their free time.

Why is it non negotiable, people obviously don't want it. Therefore if you have to do it, don't put effort in making coconut says and the like, just book a pub and accept that hardly anyone will come

It's a bad time to have a party - people are away on holiday or at weddings
It's an expensive time of year too with weddings & holidays, hen nights etc

& true people often don't like work events

last years party was organised by different people, they just hired a big venue, got a posh caterer in, and expected people to turn up. It was a joint venture with a sister company with about 350 staff in total. 25 from our business came, maybe 60 ish came from the other business. It was a total flop as the vunue was so big, most of the food was thrown out. They still charged for tickets.

So, we thought we would learn from those mistakes, got feedback, put on what people said they wanted, and still, noone really came.

We do other events in the year, we just had a wine tasting thing, limited places, it was £10 and was subsidised. we had a massive response, even had a waiting list. Two days before the even people starting dropping out. In the end we only had half the places filled.

Ask if people want a works do, or if they would simply prefer a share of the 2k cash being spent on it.

Or if they would prefer the 2k being spent on something like a load of pizza delivered to work, or nicer furniture in the staff room or a dishwasher.

I bet a lot of people think spending the money on a party people don't want is actually a worse thing than not spending it at all.

Why? Why does there have to be a summer party?

To be honest, if there was no chance of not doing it I would: either make it pretty much no cost - everyone brings their own to a BBQ. Or tickets have to be bought by X date, and just cater for that number.

Summer holidays is a bad time to do anything - if the weather is good people might want to do something else, if its bad they might prefer to stay home. Children might be bored, so liable to be a nightmare; or tired because they have been doing something else.

If you want a good turn out at events, you need to find the key people who get everyone else to go, and make sure they are behind the event.

I agree, but its something as a workplace that we have to do. There has to be a summer party and there has to be a Christmas party.

Non negotiable.

I can understand that you have to organise a party because that is what you have been detailed to do. But you do not have to give your own time up to do it. Do it in work time.

Also, you do not have to make props, or decorations. Work within the budget and it will be what it will be.

Anything more than this is negotiable. You are letting yourself be taken for a ride here and whilst you obviously have good intentions, it's just a lot of wasted time.

because last years budget got out of hand we had a budget of 400 pounds this year.

not a lot, we all worked our arses off, got friends involved to do things for free, lots of people gave up their own time, to try to put on something that was good.

Timing was not great and we have already thoguht about that, but actually this is being really helpful in getting some non bais advice and is giving me stuff to think about

not a lot, we all worked our arses off, got friends involved to do things for free, lots of people gave up their own time

But why OP? Why not just stick to budget and scale the party right down to the basics. Or, if that's not possible, you need to speak to whoever is in charge of setting the budget and show them your costs.

I wouldn't attend a work summer party, especially if it was held on my normal time off. I spend enough time at work without having to socialise with people I can't be bothered with. I never attend the Christmas nights out either, I'd rather go out for a meal with DH than made idle chit chat with wine flowing. (I don't drink and drunk colleagues annoy the hell out of me). It is rude though to accept then not turn up.

It sounds like people feel obliged to turn up. I agree with doing a survey as someone else suggested to gauge what the employees would prefer.

I don't do work socials and I don't think it's unreasonable for anyone not to want to go to one. Work is work, you go there to earn money not because you're trying to make friends. Sure things may be amicable enough whilst there and you may even feel as though you've made some good friends, but that doesn't mean you necessarily want to give up your precious free time to do some forced socialising.

It's not really your colleagues fault if your employer has made these parties "non-negotiable" regardless of interest. I understand you feeling annoyed after all the time and trouble you've gone to to organise it, but you should be annoyed with the employer not people who are making it clear enough they don't want to attend.

because noone actually likes this shit in real life. Its a work event that not only do they not get paid to attend, youre actually CHARGING them for the joy of spending yet more of their free time with you bunch of arseholes.

non negotiable my arse.

jeez you're making people give up their free time to organise it for free too??

Basically no one wants to go.
So don't do it next year.
Who is decreeing "you WILL have a party"?

Let them organise it then.
Pathetic.

My guess is that there isn't a great atmosphere at work and, as the time of the event approaches, people realise that spending extra time doing work things is the last thing they want and drop out.

Your employers much be better spending the money making the working environment more pleasant.

The only other think I can think of is that you should hire a minor children's celeb and then you'd probably get a decent turn out of staff members with young families at least.