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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think organising the work Christmas meal is a thankless task?

91 replies

WinditupSlowitdown · 13/09/2017 18:41

So half the people never responded to my email suggesting locations. I spent ages looking over different restaurants too.

These are the people that I know 100% would come to the meal Confused

Just so annoying! How hard is it to look at the menu and say yes or no?

The company even pays for it, so it's not a money issue.

OP posts:
CakeNinja · 13/09/2017 18:43

The lady who organised our last works Christmas do ended op pocketing the £50 voucher we were given for the big booking! And we bought her flowers to say Thankyou Grin

Allthebestnamesareused · 13/09/2017 18:46

If work are paying you chose and say this is where it is this year on this date!

Please rsvp by certain date with your menu choices( assuming there is a choice).

However keep a definite list of who chose what because they never remember!

shoeaddict83 · 13/09/2017 18:46

Completely agree! After 5 years of doing it to help out (I'm in accounts so it's not in my job role!) I told the directors after last years I refuse to do anymore. I was even doing it from home as was too busy in work time to do it along with my actual job. The company pays for us and our partners but most of them are a bunch of selfish ungrateful twats and just moan about anything, I think over 6 years from 110 staff I can count the number of thankyous I've had on 1 hand. Even more annoying is no fucker suggests anything but them moan with the ideas I come up with and despite it then being a director decision where we go I still get the shit for it!!! Nope I've passed that baton on now! Someone else can find out what I've been going through

Gorgosparta · 13/09/2017 18:47

Absolute nightmare. Completely hate it. I refuse to do it.

shoeaddict83 · 13/09/2017 18:47

Sorry rant over 😂😂

redphonebox · 13/09/2017 18:49

100% agree with you OP. Completely thankless task. Had to do it for a couple of years in a previous role, NEVER AGAIN.

IME it's always the people who've done it before and know how awful it is who actually say thank you.

PollyFlint · 13/09/2017 18:50

Completely agree. I've never done it but for years I sat next to the person that did and I always felt really sorry for her. Everyone basically wants their own wishes fully catered for, and people then whinge and moan if it's not exactly what they wanted and have massively unrealistic expectations of what can be organised within a budget. People are massively ungrateful.

plantsitter · 13/09/2017 18:50

Any works do that's paid for by work is thankless. Funny isn't it? People are so ungrateful and rude about it! Worst of all is when people be fake grateful and thank you for organising it while slagging off your choices to high heaven at the same time!

Just pick somewhere and book it, I would.

ChelleDawg2020 · 13/09/2017 18:55

It's not worth the bother of organising any kind of event for work. It's impossible to pin a date down because half the people need to know well in advance, and half the people can't confirm until near the time.

People bitch about everything that was wrong about the event, whether it be the food, the entertainment, the location, whatever. Very few people will be grateful, and fewer still express this sentiment to you.

I will happily go along to a work event as long as it means free booze, but I would never go to the effort of trying to organise one again, certainly not if there were going to be more than three people attending.

UrsulaPandress · 13/09/2017 18:57

I loved organising the work outings. I am spreadsheet queen.

Undercoverbanana · 13/09/2017 18:58

Never. Again. Like, ever.

Oh God save me I've turned into Taylor Swift.

Original poster
WinditupSlowitdown · 13/09/2017 18:59

I thought it would be nice to give people a choice. Pffftt I don't care about nice anymore! Haha.

I'll email them again and give a deadline. You can't bloody moan if you disregarded your opportunity to have a choice ... they will of course still moan.

OP posts:
Original poster
WinditupSlowitdown · 13/09/2017 19:00

I loved organising the work outings. I am spreadsheet queen.

Hard to be organised when people can't be bothered responding to you though.

OP posts:
DereksGotATail · 13/09/2017 19:01

Agree.
I'm happy to be told when and where. I couldn't be doing with asking peoples opinions and trying to please everyone with a date, it would take forever at our place.
I always buy the event organiser a Christmas present for being the mug
party planner.

ILoveScrabble · 13/09/2017 19:01

The person who organizes it at my husbands company gets flowers a gift and a big thank you at the meal. I think she just chooses where to go Rather than trying to get everyone to agree.

I'll make sure I say an extra special thank you to her this year.

CassandraCross · 13/09/2017 19:03

It is indeed the most thankless task. Organising the Company Christmas Do and doing the Company Family Tree should be included as punishments in one of the circles of hell in Dante's Divine Comedy.

CaptainHammer · 13/09/2017 19:03

Agree. I did it once and will never do it again!

Original poster
WinditupSlowitdown · 13/09/2017 19:04

Should point out this is for a group of 30 people. It's a department Christmas meal.

For 100s of people I wouldn't have suggested different places, dates etc

OP posts:
BakedBeans47 · 13/09/2017 19:05

Yes it is. And then don't even start me once it's all organised on the fuckers who can't remember what they ordered.

Slimthistime · 13/09/2017 19:10

yikes, are you the person who took over this task from me a couple of years ago...? 30 in a dept....hmm...

if you are Grin

I've never heard anyone complain but people don't seem to want to look at menus, I always offer and they always just say "you choose". They want it to be walking distance but otherwise seem happy for someone else to choose.

I mostly handed it on because I don't even like going to the Xmas do so it was a bit weird.

btw can I ask what week you are going for? I am wondering which week will be the busiest given Xmas falls on a Monday (I usually take a bit of annual leave before Xmas to avoid the crazy but this year I can't tell when the crazy will be).

Slimthistime · 13/09/2017 19:11

oh yes, no one knows what they ordered so I export the spreadsheet info onto little menu cards and they thought it was lovely when really it's my way of ensuring no one rows over a tiramisu!!

House4 · 13/09/2017 19:12

I tell everyone the date really early (ie. March) then get everyone to vote on pre-approved venues (both date and venues selfishly approved by me and directors)! Also all organised in company time so am being paid to do it. Someone has to! What's not to like? If someone moans then I tell them not to come!

Polarbearflavour · 13/09/2017 19:14

Never again. I'm an executive assistant and get all those crappy kind of jobs. Another reason I'm changing roles! And I'm not going to my current team's Christmas meal if anybody ever bothers to organise it Smile

GirlOnATrainToShite · 13/09/2017 19:16

Yes YANBU never again.

New admin girl has cheerily volunteered this year like a lamb to the bloody slaughter Grin