To want to pay less at work Christmas drinks?

[Rainallnight]

Agh, I just wrote a long post and it got lost!

the short version is - it’s my work’s tradition that SMT members split the bill for drinks at our Christmas lunch. I am the least well paid member of SMT by some distance and have begun to feel this is unfair.

I’d rather we make a contribution that’s proportionate to our salaries.

AIBU?

From what op has said, the SMT are paying for the drinks of all staff members though. So Op could have have one soft drink, and still be asked to pay several hundred pounds as her share.

That is true, but OP could also drink everyone else under the table and only pay according to her salary and which wouldn’t be right either.

The problem with this set up is that some employees will take the piss once they know someone else is paying for the drinks. We were talking about our xmas party in a team meeting this week and several people were discussing how to drink as much as possible, take bottles home etc.

I’m in a dept like this, and what now pisses me off, after many years of stumping up decent cash pre Christmas, is that no fucker even has the courtesy to say ‘thank you’..

I don't think paying for the staff to get tanked up at the bar is acceptable, no matter who pays. It's a bit tacky. Not because it's a charity, any company.

Table wine is acceptable as it's part of the meal.

We'd book an Italian chain for the staff, order the wine. They'd put up with us for a couple of hours, then leave for a club or pub crawl around the town. We'd pay the bill and go home.

She says it's 'the Christmas lunch' so presumably a 2hr meal rather than a full on 8 hour/into the early hours party. 15 people in total, so maybe 4 people on the smt? If I really felt irked by it I'd email to my fellow smt members suggesting a contribution based on salary. That's the only possible solution, assuming they're not on MN and thinking 'omg, is this Amanda, is she annoyed at having to pay a 25% cut for the Crimbo lunch at Bella Italia ?'

Communication is king!

Out of interest, do the team members know the leadership personally pay this?

Are we talking your contribution is say a couple of hundred? Lunch plus a couple of drinks is minimum £25 and more like £50+ each where I am.

Tricky situation culturally. Unless you work at what are known to be high income jobs, this is really odd. Even then, companies enabling heavy drinking is now really problematic (so I’ve heard from our HR team).

At the next smt meeting, point out you earn the least and ask to pay a smaller share?

What about non drinkers?

How do you know what anyone earns?

You could argue, why should CEO Lucinda who’s a tee- totalled earning £100k subsidise Lucy from stores who’s drinking champagne all night.

Buy your own drinks.

I would call out 'I pay my own drinks or stay at home'. Couldn't care less. I don't pay others bills this way.

I think thats ridiculous and now is the time to stop the tradition.

I don't agree with paying proportional to your salary either... different people have different home and financial situations.
Eg I am a band higher pay grade than some staff at work, however, my husband earns minimum wage whereas their husband is a high earner. Not saying this means they have more disposable income available (who knows their true situation) but they might. Or one smt on £100k may have numerous dependents to pay for whereas an smt on 80k has their salary to fund themselves and little else.

Truth is No one knows what is going on for other people and and what they have to pay out/how much they can afford and puts them in awkward position

I do think now is the time to knock the tradition on the head, there is enough notice till Christmas to say this now and think of a different way to treat the staff if people want to do do that (eg individual offer to buy a round of drinks if they choose. ) but people foot their own bill.

@Fizzadora I work for a charity but we don't operate on public donations or donations of any kind really. We work as a typical business that provides services to the community and we do a fantastic job. Despite being a charity, some of the specialist roles need many professional qualifications; teaching quals, masters etc. I don't know the OPs type of organisation but I doubt she's going door to door asking for money for stray cats for instance. That being said, our team are still paid less than market value than if we worked elsewhere doing the same job but we are still paid professional salaries.

Also, I read it as she's part of a small SMT and is the lowest paid. The overall team in 15 so presumably most are earning far less than the OP.

Plus it doesn't take account of disposable income.

The person on £50k could have a higher earning partner and be mortgage free while the £100k earner, who doesn't take home anywhere near twice as much as someone on £50k or get child benefit, could be the sole household earner and have a big mortgage so have far less disposable income.

But for the OPs situation, it depends how much money she's talking about. If it's a single drink at the staff lunch so each SMT member is paying say £50 for a few drinks, it's probably best to just suck it up but obviously if they're picking up the who tab for a meal and a big piss up and it costs ten times that or more then perhaps the whole organisation should dial it back a bit.

I can quite believe that in a posh venue with a lot of staff

Mmm... did you pay a share last year or is this the first time you'll be one of the people paying. Did you go last year and get your drinks paid for?

If you've previously benefited and it wasn't a problem for you then... and now you'd be expected to pay your share it is... that is going to look pretty bad no matter how unfair it actually is.

Also how long have you known that this is the tradition and you'd be expected to pay a share... it could be argued you should have budgeted for this.

I don't disagree it is a shitty concept where the wages of those contributing have such a wide range... but it could potentially cost you more (depending on the workplace culture) to refuse to take part.

That is one hell of an overhead for a charity? A total of 15 employees and an “SMT” who earn between £50k and £100k?
I would just do it. Assuming there are what, at least 3 or 4 who are “SMT” those are splitting the drinks bill for 9 or 10 other people, all of whom will earn significantly less than you. How much can those people drink, £60 each? So £660 split 4 ways is £165. I don’t think the argument is worth the hassle.

Could you decide a reasonable amount to pay, excuse yourself, and send that amount to one of the SMT attending to cover your contribution? Explain that’s what you budgeted for the evening and wish them a fun night.

Irrelevant to the thread but
You got off very lightly 750/65=£11.5 average per person. That would be 1-2 drinks at most venues per person. Less in nice places.

This doesn't seem.to be a particularly fair way of paying! You say there are 15 people but how many are SLT and how much is usually spent? I can imagine that people drink quite a bit with the assumption that managment are picking up the tab. If a company pays forbthjs they can claim it again tax etc if an individual pays you just end up with less money that yoj have worked hard for!

@Fizzadora completely agree with your comments.

@Rainallnight suck it up and pay the bill. So what if you get paid £50k a year. How many drinks does everyone have? Are they all totally shit-faced on Veuve Cliquot?

I don't really think it's reasonable that you pay anything. It's making all sorts of assumptions. I've been a senior manager in a team having to watch every penny because I was a single parent, and actually being the least well off in my team while working the hardest because people have family money or high earning partners. Either the organisation contributes (all the charities I've worked in. have paid a proportion) and/or individuals do, and/or you organise something that isn't very costly.

I'd be more worried that there is such accepted inequity in your organisation and that inequity is perpetuated by the people who stand to gain and that it's targeted towards you personally.

plus that you don't have a voice and feel like you can't say anything (out of fear?)

why are you willing to work there?

I don't really think it's reasonable that you pay anything.

Whaaat????