To think work Xmas parties should start in work hours?

[ByTidyHelper]

Just as the title says really. Our work Xmas party doesn't start til 6:30pm this year in London which is a 1hr commute for me each way. I really think work Xmas parties should start in work hours e.g. 3 or 4pm as this would be so much better for those with families who could attend at the start for a couple of hours and then go home.

I'm probably not going to mine this year just due to the fact it starts in the evening and I cannot be bothered to get back home late and have to figure out what we do with my kids bedtime etc (they are in a phase of meltdown mode unless mummy is putting them to bed so would be tough on my husband to have to deal with this solo).

What do you think? AIBU to expect work Xmas parties to start in work hours?

Hell no. I think that they should start with hard drinking immediately after work and continue into the early hours. It's a party not a family day.

I think lots do.

My company doesn't have a Christmas party in the UK (not many of us based here!) but the last company I worked at was:

After 3pm - no meetings or calls scheduled so people could start getting ready
4pm - pizza/pre drinks and games
6pm - head to the pub

So people could just join the 4-6pm part if they wanted to get home, which was quite nice.

It's an evening out which can choose to attend or not. Personally as I get on well enough with most of my colleagues to spend an evening with them once a year I would go and expect my DH to manage bedtime.

Well that accurately describes many I have attended.

Why don’t you suggest this for next year.

Got any jobs going.......?

Work in a school, can you imagine the headlines if we started our works do during school hours

You can never please everyone with a Christmas party. Best to go with the majority.

Yeah exactly. Lots of people will continue on to the early hours but by starting an hour or so before the end of the working day it would allow those who can't stay late due to family commitments the chance to have a fun couple of hours before heading home.

I worked in a place where the Xmas party was on Friday straight after work. All the women in the company where allowed to finish early ‘to get ready’ (there were only 3 of us).
I should have objected to the blatant misogyny, however a free afternoon off is a compromise I was willing to make 😂

No. It's a social event which as adults we associate with after work time.

I’d make the most of them while they last. The death of the alcohol-fuelled Christmas party is nigh. More and more employer are starting and finishing them early to stop the heavy drinking. Many aren’t finding any alcohol or having alcohol free get together. I can foresee a time when the Christmas party falls away entirely - it’s just not worth the risk. Not saying this is a bad thing, but it is a thing.

It’s an optional social event. Just imagine would would happen if your GP, cleaners or costa server did this. Imagine how that would go down.

Yes I think any sort of work social event should be in working hours too. I suspect more will in future because less alcohol drinking goes on in the daytime, and given the new duty for employers to prevent sexual harassment, it's a good way to help reduce the scope for trouble.

But the problem is that you then have people who can't possibly be on time for the event because they have Very Important Work and so everyone has to hang around waiting for them. That said, it happens with evening events as well.

Ours have always been a lunch with an afternoon off work. Most people stay until 8/9pm. I think it works well

Ours is entirely in the working day this year. There’s Christmas crafts, afternoon tea, Elf showing in a room. No booze. It sounds like an infant school treat day in the name of inclusivity and saving a few quid.

We typically do a late lunch (which turns into a messy night for some) so you can still head home at the normal time if you want.

As you said it yourself you are in a phase - a company can’t plan Christmas parties around a couple of parents whose children are in a phase!

We don't do parties as our team is only 3, one doesn't celebrate Xmas and we're all home based spread around. We get a £25 stipend to do what we wish (with some rules) so we choose to meet at the company HQs in London and do an activity during working hours. We went mini golf in January last year and I was home in time for dds bedtime. So much better than awful, drunken Xmas parties but that's maybe cos I'm getting to be an old miserable fart lol because 20 year old me would have hated this 🤣

In many cases the events are not really optional. Over the years there have been lots of threads on MN and lots of people seem to think you are miserable, not a team player and not worthy of promotion if you don't get drunk with your work colleagues.

There will always be people who for whatever reason need or want to get home. It's not just about being a parent of dependent children.

Don't go then!
I have organised many work christmas parties and have discovered it doesn't matter what day, time, venue, food, drink you go with there is always someone who isn't happy about it.

10000% with you. By the time I've done a whole day in London I'm absolutely knackered and just wanna go home now starts at 6:30 this year so what are we supposed to do between five and 630? Obviously we will end up in the pub and everyone will be hammered before the sitdown meal at 6:30.

I worked one place where there were different patterns based on department. The first department I was in would bus us off for a long boozy lunch (management paying for bottles of wine), but then drive us back to work. The afternoon back at our desks was interesting(!)

The second department I was in took us off for lunch and then stayed out drinking afterwards. I felt this was much more civilised.

@CrushingOnRubies me too!! I can just imagine if we got the kids to colour in while we all had a few drinks in the hall