To not want to participate in the work christmas do as its too expensive..

[b584]

I work for a well know food retail company, They have some large stores but mainly convienience stores, Out of the 7 years I have worked in one of the smaller stores we have only had 2 christmas do's.

We are given £10 per employee towards it. it has been that amount since i've been there, over the 7 christmas's I have been there we have had 5 different managers, 2 couldnt be bothered to organise anything and arrange cover for the store so we were given the £10 in store stamps so we had to spend it instore,

The 2 times we have gone out have ended up costing about £60 per person as the managers have chosen where we go and once you have paid for a taxi there and back, then your drinks, meal. it soon adds up when the company is only paying £10 towards it,

We have a new manager now, been with us about 2 months, He has organised a christmas night out at a large pub/restaurant chain, A week before payday and even if it was on payday many of us cant afford it, We have 11 staff at the moment, 15 is about right for the size of our store so all fed up and overworked,

He is making some of us feel bad for saying we might not be going, To be honest I think we deserve more than £10 for the shit we put up with every day especially during the Christmas period with double deliveries, not enough staff and stressed out customers. And You would think that it would have gone up abit in the last 7 years.

Aibu to stick to my guns and not go or am I being a misery guts?

NHS worker here, we never get anything at Christmas from the department. We've got a midweek meal booked, £20 in a lovely restaurant, not everyone goes. Some due to childcare, some it's money, and some have to work. It's always a quiet affair, a few drinks maybe, but back home by 9.30pm!

You are lucky the company contributes something, however, at that price I'd still not be going!

@LoniceraJaponica we have made the most of the allowance by booking a 3 course meal at a Caribbean place that does two for 1 cocktails so our £50 will go further!

They're pretty generous, we get a team meal out with a drink once a month, a dominos pizza lunch if we hit targets and always free cake/sweets, the odd Starbucks

I work in retail for a large company. We are having a work do, that we are paying for ourselves. If our boss/company gave us anything towards it, I think I’d faint

Having been both an employee and self-employed/freelancer during my career, I have seen some awesome sh*t over the years, on both sides.

Best do ever was when I was freelancing for a company which flew EVERYBODY (employees/freelancers/office cat) to San Sebastian for two days. Nobody put their hand in their pocket once - drinks/food/accommodation/transport all covered. It was terrific.

Worst was when I worked FT for a company that FORCED (as in non-attendance was 'noted' in objectives) people to go to one of those awful corporate party nights in an anonymous airport hotel in the ar*ehole of nowhere. Not only did they have to pay ~£50 for the pleasure of terrible food and awful music, it also necessitated a £20+ taxi ride home for most.

Corporate jollies are (or should be) a combination of bonding, goodwill and reward. As a (mostly) freelancer these days, I only go if I'm a) invited and b) paid for. I've got other stuff to do, quite frankly.

Should add that the San Sebastian company had the most impressive staff retention rate I've ever seen and the sort of reliable freelance bank that most companies would sell their granny for - because they were a terrific company that treated their people well and embodied the sort of culture that takes many years and a lot of trust to build.

In the interests of privacy, I shan't name them, but they have a Glassdoor/LinkedIn rating/profile that is THROUGH THE ROOF.

The other one, on the other hand, used to consider it a result if they could keep a post-grad on staff for for more than 18 months...

I worked in one place where the company paid for all food (within reason, but not sure what the "reasonable" amount would have been!). We just paid for drinks.

Now it's a pay for yourself, but I don't bother going. Not because I don't want to, but because I have anxiety about eating around other people!

I've never worked anywhere in which the firm contributes to the Christmas do. We always organised something ourselves, sometimes going out, sometimes having a party in the work place, each bringing something in. So you are fortunate if a firm contributes £10 a head.

If you can't afford to go somewhere, don't go, however it's only once a year, I'd have thought most people would make the effort.

I’d not go if you don’t want to it’s that simple

Whilst they have no obligation to give you anything or pay for anything, I think £10 is mean. I'd rather tell them to stick their £10 and go without to be honest.

We get £20, it usually pays for a lunch out (we do a fixed price lunch for about £15 and get a drink each and the left overs usually cover a tip or we chip in a quid each), as it's lunch time we generally just drive (our office is not on a public transport route) and share cars and obvs no-one has alcohol as we are working. We will usually take a long lunch so I guess the company is chipping in the extra free time as well.

It's not fab but it's not too mean either. Back in the old days we got £40 a head.

My work has buses laid on from our work (for those going straight from work) and from city centre to the venue, with a free lunch (3 course) and free drinks over 5 hours. Then we are bused back from the venue to the city centre where they have booked an area in a trendy pub and first 2 drinks are paid for. If you don't want to go to pub the buses then go onto the main bus and train stations.

Probably around 100 people in the office but only 30-40 will go and only 20ish to the pub after as the different departments are cliquey or they dont like going out with their managers.

I don't think I've ever paid for a Xmas do and that's across a variety of sectors. Public sector of course wasn't "funded" as such but we used to troop into a function room which a few of us had taken a couple of hours to decorate and move chairs out the way, a guy's mate did the DJing for beers and there was a selection of bottles and snacks bought by managers. Sounds like shit but actually everyone always let their inhibitions go and ended up pogoing round the place. Most places the bar isn't free but the sit down meal is and actually management usually put cash behind the bar so lots of drinks effectively free.

Yanbu at all to decide how to spend your money that you've worked hard for. If they put pressure on you, presumably they're spouting stuff about morale etc, so let them put their money where their mouth is - you can't expect staff to boost and fund their own fucking morale - it doesn't work like that. In your situation, I'd much rather have a £10 voucher to get a few Xmas food type treats for my family.

Another public sector worker here who has never had anyone pay for, or contribute towards our Christmas (or any other) nights out.

However, I agree with most people - of course you don't have to go if you don't want to. I'm not going to ours this year as I think it is a ridiculous amount of money - it's not that I haven't got it in the bank but that I can't justif spending that much on a night out especially one somewhere I don't even particularly want to go. I've gone to lots over the years, and I've missed quite a few too. No-one bats an eyelid either way at any of the places I've worked. There's usually a bit of trying to persuade you - or suggest a weekly 'bank' to save for it - but once they believe you actually don't want to go / can't justify the cost / are busy elsewhere / whatever reason you want to give, nobody is really that bothered.

My old work place used to have their Xmas do at a pub miles from anywhere so you had to get a taxi there and back which was about £40 total unless you didn't mind not drinking and then being asked to take other people. It ended up being about £80 in all so quite a few people didn't go.

It's not mandatory. If the manager doesn't like it that you're not attending then tough shit.

I would never attend Christmas parties or any other social event outside of work hours. It's the introvert in me. Hate all this "enforced fun"

Do what you feel comfortable with and ENJOY

Don't go, but make sure he knows why.

Any work Christmas party I have ever been to has been paid for by my employers which has usually included two pre-meal drinks, half a bottle of wine, and coffee. Post dinner drinks, such as brandy, not included more's the pity

My understanding of a xmas work do is that it is the bosses way of saying thank you for the year of hard work.

I have only worked in one place where the bosses didn't pick up the tab, they also picked the place and made the booking but never paid a cent for anyone.

My hubby's work places have also all footed the bill.

I have never worked in the public sector.
I’ve always had free-to-attend Christmas parties for me and DH with alcohol, food, taxis covered etc. I wouldn’t go if I was expected to pay - all the places I have worked are in profit. I would see it as so cheap if they made us pay that I wouldn’t even consider attending. It would show how little they value us. But like I said they have all been successful private sector places

If the company can’t afford to host a party then I don’t think they should organise anything. They shouldn’t organise one and then ask people to pay. If a group decide organically that they want to celebrate together then they should just decide themselves etc Perhaps there is a good local pub, or a near by cheap restaurant they fancy. Even then as an employer i’d Be looking for a budget that I could cover a few bottles of wine from. Or I’d take it out of my own pocket if I were the top earner.
I wouldn’t start telling people how they should celebrate and where unless I/the company were paying. That’s bullshit

It's standard practice in the public sector that you pay for your own work Christmas do. It would not be best use of public money.

Hence the fact the DP is having a 3 course meal at a top London restaurant with views over the Thames and my work goes to the local pub for a two course £8.95 meal.

p.s. I am fine with the cost of the Christmas meal. Christmas is an expensive time and I would hate to think someone felt forced to pay for something they could not afford.

Christ that is stingy. I wouldn't go either. My last workplace I got a bonus, dinner out and taxis and a bottle of champagne.
I certainly wouldn't feel bad about something I couldn't afford to attend.

I’ve never had a work xmas do paid for, work in charity sector though so fair enough I think. We plan it ourselves within offices (15 or so in each) so pick something affordable that we all want to do.

Both myself and DP work in the public sector we don’t get a penny towards it either. I’ll
Be lucky if I get away from work in time to get ready for the meal! If you don’t want to go don’t go. We all save a fiver a month in our office for it,it’s just organised amongst ourselves !

I’ve worked for a nationwide company - they paid for a meal and gave a couple of drinks tokens. We then paid for any more booze plus transport.
Then I worked for a restaurant so we didn’t have a party but we always got free food and most Saturday nights we would all stay drinking (for free) after we had finished, often with a couple of favourite customers.
Then I worked for a smallish company with several offices around the country. Each office has a xmas party, meal and some bottles of wine paid for. Plus the staff that lived further away like me (about 10 miles) had a hotel room paid for.
I now work for a tiny company (less than 10 people) and our work do is fully paid for, plus hotel rooms for everyone and train paid for as its in a nearby city.

"I cannot fathom why anyone would spend their own money on an Xmas do"

Really?

I actually like most of my work colleagues. In fact some of them have become good friends. A meal out and a few drinks with people I want to be with isn't exactly a hardship for me. While the company contributes £25, I am happy to pay for anything over and above that. For a start I will have train fares (less than £10), and any extra drinks I have I will be happy to pay for.

You can tell I don't go out very much