Christmas parties

[Littlemiss74]

Just reading another thread where the op was asking about attending a work event with 200 people indoors as she has a vulnerable dh.
It’s made me wonder whether work Christmas parties will/should go ahead.

I was in shielding category and wfh but since having 2 jabs and booster I have begun to feel more relaxed about things. I go to the office 2-3
times a week but I don’t sit that close to anyone and am still careful.
Have to say I’m now not so sure about the Christmas party with 150 people from all over the country in an inside space. I was ok with it but the news of the new variant is bringing back some of my old anxieties. I’m sure my work will do things properly as they have done throughout but how do you make such an event covid safe now there’s a new variant around which we don’t yet know the seriousness of?

how do you make such an event covid safe now there’s a new variant around which we don’t yet know the seriousness of?

I don't get this 'covid safe' idea. Unless you all attend in an enclosed individual plastic bubble how can it be 'covid safe'? Reducing transmission risk yes.

I think it comes down to how much an individual wants to risk it by attending. Personally I would go but others may not.

I agree, can’t ever be completely covid safe so yes I guess it will have to be up to individual. I don’t think it would go down well if I now said I don’t feel entirely comfortable going. I think my work are so keen to get things back to normal. I think it can be hard for me some people to understand how anxious it can make you when told you need to shield yourself from the world for fear of getting seriously ill. Obviously I feel much better at things now I’ve had the vacs but the anxiety is still always at the back of my mind. When I was shielding & wfh one senior manager was known to say ‘no one’s going to catch covid here’ because they had gone to great efforts to make the office covid secure. I found that remark quite insensitive because as you say @Stuffin nothing can ever be completely covid safe & some people have good reason to be more anxious than others. At the end of the day people have to assess the risk i suppose & do what’s best for them. Can’t help feeling it wouldn’t go down well though at my work if people start pulling out now.

Meh, I work with about 100 people in an inside space every day. If you were shielding though then I understand your anxieties. If you don't want to go, don't.

I’m seriously considering not going to mine as it’s two weeks before Christmas so if I did catch Covid the isolation period would mean I wouldn’t be able to travel to my mum’s in Wales (I’m in London). I’d like to go just for the sake of some normality and to see colleagues, but I haven’t had Christmas with my family since 2018, we’ve booked a car rental and DH isn’t going to his.

We're not doing anything for xmas and it'll be the same as last year, money put into wine and chocolates, with lots of hampers/toiletry sets in a prize drawer.

Apparently work told everyone yesterday, we're not to have close contact unless it was essential, so if you want to do something in an area, you have to wait for someone else to finish. We have to wear masks anyway!

We’re still having our buffet at work on the last day, we don’t have a night do. We are all old and in bed by 10pm !

I think if you don't want to attend then just say you can't now risk picking up covid which would spoil your Christmas having to isolate etc with the rates being high.

I am totally relaxed about getting covid and am happy with lots of activities that others wouldn't do but I 100% understand the view that catching it could ruin plans especially at Christmas.

What do you mean it won’t go down well? One person out of 150 will hardly make a difference to catering or other plans.

It makes me wince to think of the risk but people are going to packed cinema, theatre and night clubs which is no different.

Ours is next Friday, probably a hundred or so people. We were going until we all caught Covid (most probably from my office).

So thankful we had ours early this year.

If it was in the next few weeks, I’m not sure I’d attend.

@HelloDulling I mean there is an expectation to go, to be seen as a ‘team player’ - that is the culture in the company

My work Xmas party has been cancelled but I'm planning a party with family and friends at my house in a couple of weeks that I'm not planning on cancelling. If people are worried and choose not to come, that's totally fine, but I think I'll still have the party for those that want to come along.

I'm not going to mine as its on 23rd and I'm not missing Christmas with my family for a night out with work. If it was earlier I'd have gone.

If you really feel like there would be consequences to you not going then phone up with a cough and fever the day of. Oh dear sorry, best get a test, catch you all later have a great time.

You should feel able to say no but I get that some work environments are weird about things like that.

@LondonTan out of interest has your work party been cancelled due to the emergence of the new variant?

We are having our usual office Christmas lunch on the 10th (around 40 people from my team) but we are all in the office together anyway so the lunch doesn’t seem risky at all and then on the 16th we are going to an outdoor apres bar for afternoon/ evening drinks, we decided to do this as it’s so close to Xmas and being outside feels better. I’m not scared of catching covid but wouldn’t want to have it and miss our big Xmas we have planned.

@Littlemiss74 No, it was cancelled before.

No, I have one coming up next week that I won’t be attending, I wasn’t before Omicron, now that’s in the mix I’m definitely not going. Let’s not forget Delta is still extremely high numbers right now so there’s no point taking the risk.

I'm not going to ours, in part cos viruses spread during party time, also partly cos I dont enjoy work nights out!

My DP has already stated he isn’t going to his and that was before the news of this weekend. The last leaving do at his office resulted in 5 people catching covid.

Realistically he thinks it will be cancelled anyway.

In your shoes I just don’t think people can judge you if you drop out. I imagine several others will do themselves nearer the time.

I think there will be many who don’t want to run the risk of catching covid so close to Christmas that then scuppers their own private plans.

I’m not saying all parties should be cancelled but I do think if people are uncomfortable with attending they definitely should not be made to feel guilty. I’m certainly not going to any.

Our place have decided not to have the main Christmas party. Some smaller groups may have their own little get-togethers but the large celebration is off again

I hate Christmas parties anyway. I always seem to get ill afterwards as so many people especially men end up spitting in your face when talking to you because they're drunk and there's a lot of noise. I'm not going to mine and I really don't care if people think I'm not a team player for that reason. I practically hold up the team the rest of the time and am not prepared to risk mine or my family's health for a work party.

@Kummerspeck was this decided due to the new variant news or was it cancelled before? I will watch with interest to see what my work do about ours. As some people have said, I’m sure I won’t be the only one now anxious about it, especially with it being the week before Christmas.

Meh, I work with about 100 people in an inside space every day.
We were saying this for a while but sitting in eating and drinking without a mask is different to work with a mask. We ended up calling ours off more because everyone was saying if you ended up getting covid for Christmas it would be such a pity.