To ask how much you would willingly pay for your work's Christmas Party?

[Hohohonooo]

I'm not going because of the cost.

Ours is £70 per person, which is for a 3 course meal and all inclusive beer and wine. AIBU to think that's way too much?! For context, I earn £25000 per year, which is fairly typical for my workplace.

How much would you be willing to spend?

[KingsScorn]

That is a lot!

Ours is £10 this year - a buffet and skittles night. We pay for our own drinks on top. Previous years we've had meals out etc - we pre-order and pay for our food in advance (own choice from menu) and then pay for our own drinks. One year we had a dinner-dance but that wasn't particularly expensive either. Teachers so we definitely pay for our own!

DH has never paid to attend his works Christmas party as he doesn't work in the public sector. It does involve him travelling to London for it though so he avoids it if he possibly can.

I can't imagine many people at my school being willing to pay £70 - it just wouldn't happen.

[cheeseslovesme]

We pay for our Xmas party too. All inclusive drinks 3 course meal. It's £50 for ours. No Xmas gifts or bonus either, and most of us are on minimum wage.

[WinklemansFringe]

£70 would be way too much for me, although in fairness last year we paid £25 each with no drinks for a meal, so the whole evening with cabs would have been. about £70 -£80.

This year has been a bad one for all, big restructure, job losses etc so there is no official 'do' .

[EdisonLightBulb]

I work for a large corporate multinational you have all heard of. We get £25 towards an event that everyone in the team has been invited to. We can pick any venue or team building event. Since we are older and grumpy and would prefer not to socialise on an evening with each other or contribute towards it, we tend to go for a pleasant lunch in the city, not exceed the allowance, then go back to work.

There have been other years where senior management have chosen that we would do someing else, think go carting in a city 40 miles away, so many have declined going and the entire team allowance gets used for those that did want to do what the senior managers chose. Or live near the senior managers!

It's crap, they could sack it all off for me.

[Yabbers]

£30 maximum.

[greenpop21]

I work in a primary school. Of course we pay for it ourselves-school budgets are strapped as it is. We go out for a cheapish £25 a head meal and drinks.
DH's do on the other hand is all paid for, incl drinks and the venue varies.

[greenpop21]

The shock of some that some people actually have to pay for their own meal and drink!!! Anyone heard of the public sector???

[JojoLapin]

Depends, Public sector, small independent business: up to £40, if I like my colleagues otherwise I’d have the perfect excuse to bail!

Successful FTSE co: £0. I would expect (and really appreciate) a pretty cool party too.

[SpaceDinosaur]

I have never paid to attend a work Christmas Party. That's really really cheap of the employer to be honest with you.

[ForalltheSaints]

I think £70 is extortionate and I hope the OP said so when declining.

Ours ends up at c£30.

The person who mentioned about events being near to where senior managers are does not surprise me.

[GoldenBlue]

Public sector so we've always had to pay. This year was £18 plus drinks for 2 courses or £25 for 3 courses.

It was pretty good actually.

It would be lovely if someone else paid but as a tax payer and aware of the budget situation in public sector it is just unreasonable for them to pay for food for staff.

[Hohohonooo]

@greenpop21 I know , though tbh I'm shocked that so many employers pay for their Christmas parties!

Geniunely didn't realise that it was so common for employers to pay, and if I'd known that, then I would have mentioned in my OP that it's a public sector job, namely in the NHS.

[NotUsedBySomeoneElse]

My husband’s employers pay. Not a set amount per person but they’ll give a lump sum to the manager to sort something. Generally it’ll be a cheap Wetherspoons meal then out drinking to make the most of it. I work in the NHS so obviously we don’t get it paid for. Most I’ve paid is £30-35 for a meal and entertainment at a place doing organised Christmas parties. I’m not going this year, but I’ve noticed it’s crept up closer to £40. This is without drinks included, so it can easily get up to £70. I get on with my work colleagues and socialise with them anyway, but it’s a lot just for one night. I’ve never understood why we don’t just book a meal without the Christmas do packages, which would cost a lot less. I’m not prepared to be the organiser though so I just go with the crowd.

[90mammasophie]

The price of a meal and a drink or two. So about £25.
Wouldn't pay anything more than that as I don't want to spend a lot on an evening out with colleagues who I don't usually see socially, when I could spend it on something for my family.
I think it's a shame a lot of work places no longer provide a Christmas party.

[DonDrapersOldFashioned]

Probably £50, I wouldn’t necessarily expect drinks to be included with that.

I’m public sector.

[SlowlyShrinking]

Never paid anywhere until I started working in the public sector.

[DarlingNikita]

I wouldn't mind paying per se, but £70 is a LOT. I don't drink either, so all-inclusive alcohol means nothing to me. It'd be impossible to get my money's worth – there's only so much ginger beer/lime and soda/mineral water I can drink.

Good excuse not to go, if you ask me. Then again, I'm a miserable moo and have always avoided work parties.

[NannyKasey]

I'm public sector and ours is £30 which we have to pay for. The management pay for wine on the table during the meal. As the last 2 years (for me) have been a disaster (2 years ago, I had just come out of hospital after almost 3 weeks and couldn't go (got my money back tho), last year, I managed to injure myself by falling down the stairs at home, coupled with a rubbish meal (no gravy and the Christmas pudding was burnt) meant I came home early) I'm hoping that this year might be OK

[Porla]

We had ours last night

[Porla]

Posted too soon!

We had ours last night, £35 each. NHS department. 3 course meal and disco. Consultants bought wine for all the tables and kept topping it up which was really nice of them

Was actually really good, usually a bit shit but a new person organised it this time and we had a right laugh

[Serin]

NHS here. Ours was £65 each. It was also 30miles away from where I live so I didn't go. Would have had to add on cost of taxi or staying over!!
Have got gorgeous event planned for next week £50 a head at National trust venue with family.

[BlitheringIdiots]

Wow that's a lot. We pay for our staff to have a Xmas lunch and I even drive a round trip morning and evening to pick 4 of them up and drop home.

[BlitheringIdiots]

What's exempt
You might not have to report anything to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) or pay tax and National Insurance. To be exempt, the party or similar social function must be all the following:
• £150 or less per head
• annual, such as a Christmas party or summer barbecue
• open to all your employees



We get nowhere near £150 per head

[Thehogfatherstolemycurry]

Mine is £50 for 3 course meal and all alcohol included. I'm looking forward to it and didn't resent paying. For context I earn minimum wage but we are a small team and all like each other. Last year we did a spa break so was more.

I've never worked anywhere that the employer has paid for it.

[Birdsgottafly]

Ours used to be £50, that was inclusive of drinks, about four years ago.

If there were the possibility of cocktails, or good entertainment, I'd pay £70. But here in Liverpool, most places offer three bottles of wine for £25, if ordered with food and there's decent, freshly cooked places offering three courses for £20. A few have live music, so £45 for a good night out.