How to get out of your work's depressing Zoom party

[FestiveZoom]

Mine will involve Karaoke. 😶 How are your annual "rewards" coming along? Got anything to beat that?

YABU: Awww, this is a fabulous idea, more festive Zoom, more more more! 🥳

YANBU: Cringe, vomit, avoid. 🤮

www.wired.co.uk/article/christmas-zoom-party-work-excuses

Be incredibly enthusiastic, turn up, seem happy, couple of mins in ideally when yourre in the middle of talking. cut the net on your computer, oh no Internet issues and you were so looking forward to it!

We’ve got team members who live alone and have barely seen anyone since March.

So yes we’re having a Christmas zoom but keeping it low key with a quiz.

@Norwegianwater

Be incredibly enthusiastic, turn up, seem happy, couple of mins in ideally when yourre in the middle of talking. cut the net on your computer, oh no Internet issues and you were so looking forward to it!

This.

And you need to cut out mid word. It's more believable.
Or do something so that your microphone doesn't pick up what you're saying/really noisy background vacuuming or washing machine on max spin cycle

We have to pay to attend our Christmas Zoom party!! No thanks....

Also got dodgy internet escape plans for mine. No free cocktail making kit looks like it's going to materialise unfortunately. Aparrently they'll be various rooms and tables to sit at .

The karaoke sounds horrific as does the Zoom house tours...we have a serious divide in pay scales - look at my one room in a shared house vs multi million £ mansion.

Someone did suggest a guess who's fridge - no chance I was going to clean my fridge in the name of 'fun'.

Maybe try this? A lot more effort than actually attending, but presumably very satisfying.

Alternatively, sit completely still for long periods of time as if your screen had frozen, occasionally doing two or three seconds of very animated party type 'fun' grinning and waving of drinks glass before freezing again. Yes, you are there, but it might amuse you.

@WFHWF

I am so relieved to find out I’m not the only one to think the whole Christmas party on VC is utterly hideous. For ours, we have to EAT our Xmas lunch together, on a Zoom call. Essentially, a work sanctioned mukbang. Gross.

That actually is gross. My Internet would cut out very quickly.

@PuppyMonkey

‘We’ve had the year from hell and nobody has even organised anything for a bit of fun’.

The one thing an employer could do that nobody would moan about is a nice fat bonus in their employees’ pay packet?

That what ours has done and I'm very grateful!

Don't take part. They don't own you

Unfortunately mine has been organised for a time when I’m looking after my toddler.

@MyristicaFragrans yep, me too.

*I don’t have a toddler but I started during lockdown and no one really knows me 🤣

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The party thrower is one of the exec team so HR will not say anything.

I will probably just refuse to go in the end. I suspect this is likely to be career limiting, but I am not sure I care. However, if the weather stays as crap as at present I can't see it will be happening anyway.

This email just came around from management about the online panto they're putting on next week. He makes it sound so fun...

"As per the recent staff invite to the company Christmas celebration this year, we will be hosting an online pantomime. For those less familiar with pantomime it is a type of theatrical comedy designed for family entertainment. A performance is often loosely based around a well-known fairy tale, such as Cinderella, Jack in the Beanstalk etc with topical comedy inserted into the story line. There are a number of conventions within pantomime, though not all are used in every performance. These can include practices such as audience participation, gender role reversal such as a female actor playing the role of the Prince, musical numbers and slap stick comedy amongst others. Within the UK, pantomime is synonymous with the festive period, with many theatres hosting shows throughout the December period. Overall it is a light hearted, comedic interpretation of a well-known story. This year as we were unable to conduct our usual Christmas party, the online pantomime presented an opportunity for our staff to engage together, albeit online, in a Christmas event. The content of the pantomime will be respectful and appropriate for all ages and we invite you to enjoy the show next week"

Wow, can't wait

@nosswith

The 5% must be managers who think this 'fun' is what is required. Probably managers who are overpromoted and out of their depth.

Or maybe people that actually enjoy and like the people they work with and want to celebrate getting through a pretty shit year as a group.

Makes me laugh on MN that people think it’s unreasonable to like work colleagues

Hope to be WFH that day, then I can have a power cut.

YANBU.

Lucky for me they're hosting the party on my birthday.

Declined because the last thing I'd wanna do is sit on zoom all evening!

I think the problem is the failure to make these things optional in a lot of cases. Ours are organised by someone very outgoing who loves socialising, I'm an introvert who hates crowded social situations. The team get no input into arrangements and we don't even get told what is planned until close to the time. This apparently makes it fun and exciting. I find it really difficult because personally I need to know what's planned so I can feel prepared for it. I suggested one year that we have a discussion on what people wanted to do and that got laughed down.