AIBU to think £40 ticket for an Xmas work party isn't obscenely expensive?

[Henners7]

My first post on MN having been an avid reader for some time! I genuinely don't know whether I am being unreasonable so would like some other opinions.

I work on a small, close knit team - something like a team of paramedics -and I've been here for a few years now. I organised the Christmas 'do' last year in a local restaurant (£20 not including drinks) and getting people to confirm places, menu choices, deposits etc was such a stressy and thankless nightmare I've refused to do it again.

We have (once again) left the xmas organisation very late this year because although e everyone says they want to do something no one wants to organise it. I'm up for pretty much anything I just think it would be nice to celebrate Christmas together. In the end a lady whose just returned from a long period of leave looked into the options we have left and floated the idea of a local nice hotel offering cocktail,nibbles, three course meal, disco, 'casino' and pre taxi bacon roll for £40.

As we work shifts she wouldn't have got a consensus/thoughts from everyone as quickly as she needed so she asked the hotel to hold 25 spaces for two weeks with the option of booking less spaces if some people didn't want to attend or bring partners.

Many of the team have said that £40 is far too expensive for a works do and we should just go out for a meal instead. However, no one will actually step up and organise this and i think once you've had a meal and a few drinks you're getting torwards £40 anyway. I understand some people just don't like work christmas events and that's fine, but everyone is saying that they definitely do want to do something.

Am I unreasonable to think they are being unrealistic? To get a meal and some entertainment somewhere decent at christmas these days isn't going to be £20. I'm one of the lowest paid of the team and I accept this.

AIBU to think either step up and organise something low cost, make an excuse not to be there or just pay £40? But don't moan at the only person willing to put the effort in and try and book something so late in the year.
How much would you pay for a similar package for a work christmas party?

way too much for me

I'm the organiser at my place and we moved away from set menus and packages- we now meet in a pub with a curry house next door- that means people can come for drinks only, or just a bar snack- the pub does food too (it's just a Yates) or if we all decide we can just go for a curry next door.

For us, it became a compromise- if you want a really nice bistro pub, it's expensive/package so we have needed to go for a more reasonable chain pub/ curry and put the emphasis on just enjoying the night out together. We are also lucky to be in a city centre though, so people can go on dancing after if they want to

I would not pay that for a works do. I have other things I would prefer to spend my money on.

Also I used to arrange the work Xmas do and it's a thankless task. You'll never please everyone, and the biggest whingers are the ones who would never get off their arse and organise it. I ended up just saying 'This is the venue, this is the cost, let me know if you want to come.' And honestly that worked fine.

No, I would expect work to pay for the work do. I wouldn’t go unless it was free tbh. Unless this isn’t an official work thing and it’s just you organising your own thing amongst yourselves, still think it’s a bit steep

Works Christmas dos should be paid for by the company or the best paid boss. Lots of lower paid staff will struggle to find a spare £40 at the most expensive time of year, especially to pay for the pleasure of their colleagues' company, not their loved ones'.

It's a bargain for what's on offer.

I think that's good value especially around Christmas. I'm thinking that your colleagues actually mean that they don't want to spend that much on a works night out. Perhaps going to the Indian resturant, one evening might be cheaper for people.One place I worked just organised a Christmas lunch in the restaurant next door, in the week. That was cheap!

I would be pissed if that was the cost of our works do, especially as we are expected to show up. Saying 'no, that doesn't work for me but have fun' is not an option.

Unless you are genuinely happy with half the office not coming along, I think it's way too expensive. Aren't works events meant to be paid for by work anyway, or at least heavily subsidized?

I think it's reasonable, but you always get people who don't want to spend, or commit to a night out.

Some would rather an ordinary pub, £15 for two courses type place and they can escape in an hour if they want to.

The fancier place, the more you need something to wear etc.

Look at local pubs and see if you can get enough people to commit and then just give an open invitation.

It's not really a bargain though is it? The 'casino' is likely to add to the cost because people will spend money, I assume the inverted commas mean that it's not actually in a real casino, where the food is actually quite cheap, because they want to encourage people to go and lose money in the casino.

£40 is a lot for a 3 course set meal that's likely to be OK at best. Bacon rolls completely unnecessary and I wouldn't expect the cocktail or disco to be anything special because they aren't usually. Purpose of disco to keep everyone there for longer to spend more money in the hotel bar instead of pub or club, or people just going home.

OP says they are in a paramedic type set up, which suggests public sector, where the employer never pays for events like this because no-one is allowed to have fun at the taxpayers' expense.

My work pay for a Christmas meal at a local hotel. No drinks, no cocktails, no nibbles, no bacon rolls (what a bizarre thing!), no casino.

If they decided in future to have all the extras and ask for £40 I very much doubt more than a dozen people would say yes, if that.

It sounds like my idea of hell and I would not pay £40 for that.

It sounds like a realistic price for that package but I wouldn't pay that at Christmas time for a work night out. On top of that you'll have drinks, an outfit, taxis... you're probably talking the best part of £150

I would get a few of you together who you know will come, set a date you can do and then email the rest of the team "x, y and z are going for an Indian on x night.... let me know by x day if you want to join us". Casual, no set menu and can be as expensive or cheap as you like.

I’d pay double that to avoid sitting for an hour after a meal has finished whilst 25 people work out to the absolute penny what they should contribute to the bill.

just go out for a drink with people who can actually be bothered

Just let the moaners know that there weren't enough takers on your suggestion, so you didn't book, and it's now too late. The best deals get snapped up really early! £40 sounds reasonable for what you suggested, but some may find this a stretch at an expensive time of year. When they point this out, agree cheerfully, and ask them to suggest an alternative - pause for deafening silence. Then something along the lines suggested by Magair, nearer the date.

It doesn't seem too bad for what's offered.

Although I'd probably only be interested in the meal.

So I think people mean that they'd rather spend £40 on exactly what they want which is fair enough.

I wonder if people aren't really bothered about going out?

If they were-wouldn't someone organise it?

I absolutely would not want to pay £40 for that, but neither would I whinge and whine about wanting to do something else whilst not actually organising anything else.

My employer does at least pay for the Xmas do- we have a system where you pay £10 when you book your ticket and when you turn up on the night your £10 is refunded. It's not a bad system at all.

I wouldn’t pay that much either OP.
The thing about the Christmas “works do” is that there has been a tradition with a lot of offices that the boss pays. I know that has changed somewhat in recent years but most places I have worked would continue to expect a more subsidised price, more like £25.

Never worked in the nHS though (ie if you are a team of paramedics) so not aware of the traditions in that field. But imho that is why some people are moaning at £40.

While it may not be insanely expensive,

1. It depends what it buys and

1. It depends on the bond within the team.

If £40 buys a meal and a dance afterwards, with drinks extra, that's not too bad.

If it's simply a ticket to get you through the door, with everything else having to be paid for, then no. That's too expensive.

If the team well bonded and everyone is keen, then no, not too expensive.

If it's a corporate type do with people sucking up to management, then yes, it's too much.

You might as well go down the pub.

I have to say, for what's offered it's not a bad price but not everyone would want that kind of thing. Our Christmas meal is three courses at the local pub/hotel, then we can go on elsewhere if we want. Some people do, others choose to go home. So basically people just pay for the aspects they want, not £40 an entire evening that they might not want to participate in.

My work doesn't fund a Christmas party, or contribute - the one that's been organised for my department is £50 a head. I am not going, because I don't enjoy work nights out but I think this sort of party night thing is always over-priced for mediocre food anyway.