How to deal with a colleague's low morale due to not being involved in a company event

[HannahP2024]

What would be a fair resolution here so everyone is happy?

Our company holds celebrations in October (last Friday, 18th), as profits exceed the target for the year by Quarter 3, and so a celebration is held, to thank the staff for their hard work, and an event everyone looks forward to.

I, and another colleague are in charge of organizing this event. Year on year there is a pretty consistent attendance of 75%, as not everyone is interested, so a suitable venue is chosen for this number. This year it was oversubscribed and so a handful of people were on a wait-list for a month. The day before the party everyone was eventually given a space. Unfortunately someone missed out saying it was too little notice, and was upset about being made to wait a month on a wait list and then missing out, especially when all other colleagues are talking about what a great event it was.

Is she justified in making a complaint? I have told her that she was eventually given a space, which she rejected, and no company policies were broken in the way it was organised, and that she should accept that, and maybe she will be able to attend next year. I would like advice on how one should resolve this issue, or leave it as it is, as this is not the company's fault she couldn't attend last minute. Thanks

Seen your update. If she's asking for compensation (meal and drinks) then you need to escalate this up and away from you as it's getting too complicated

She's being over the top. She did get a space in the end. She knew she was on the 'reserve' list and could've booked that slot out in her diary anyway.

The only shitty bit is the annual leave thing. Bit awkward if she wasn't able to log on or come in person to secure her ticket. I think just make sure her name is down straightaway for next year's event. Or you could send an email saying if you are on annual leave on the ticket release date, to get in touch. Then you can sort them out early (even though you'll probably annoy someone else then!). Can't win really.

Just seen she's asked for a free meal and drinks ffs. Ridiculous 🙈

I kinda hope this is a reverse.
If not, it's an illustration of how to spend money lowering morale.
Next year, find a venue that will work with you. Of course you do not want to pay for 100 seats if you think 75 will turn up. You want to be able to change to 80 though a few weeks out.

Yes she's justified. This wasn't a private event, it's supposed to be a corporate event that the whole company can attend- you failed to provide that on the provision that previously not everyone has. To be given 24hrs notice that you're in isn't adequate for most people.

This all sounds extraordinarily petty. I’d apologise + assure her that it won’t happen again.

require compensation for missing a work perk is mad…

My boss recently organised an event but booked the venue and then drew up the guest list. And then fretted that there might not be enough space for people.

Just take the hit on the bigger venue.

She can win, they can book a venue that fits all the staff next year and make it just a nice fair reward rather than a competitive bitchy thing.

Oh wow, how shit is that? They organise a 'pat on the back, well done' evening but only 75% of the staff can attend because they are too tight to book a venue that holde 100% of the staff.

I too would be hacked off and would be actively job searching, looking for a company that valued my contribution to their profits!

They sound an awful company to work for and she is quite rightly upset.

OP, this is a dreadful way to organise an event. Surely you can see that?

This employee and probably others have been made to feel like second class citizens. It's like a last minute wedding invite, which smacks of 'we don't really like you that much but we have spare food we don't want to waste so please come along'.

Book a venue which can accommodate everyone should they wish to turn up.

Btw I think her expecting compensation is slightly ridiculous, but she's not wrong to feel like it was badly handled and I think you should focus on that aspect and change how things are done next year.

There will be people who drop out on the day so it really is unfair that someone is told they can't go!

Venues need to be cooked to include everyone and then suck up the fact that some people won't attend.

This. Seriously? Why is the event not catered for all possible attendees. This situation is ridiculous when 75% are expected. Cater and assume 100% always.

She asked how one might resolve it and says that she has no influence on the decision, I read this as an interesting dilemma rather than a need to influence something she has no control over.

This is truly awful. Instead of changing the venue you left people on a waiting list for an internal celebration?! And then are surprised people can’t attend with a day’s notice?
Very bad way of showing you value people and celebrate a good year. I would be fuming.

I’m with her.

She didn’t get her bonus because she was on annual leave with the event was announced?

How is that her fault? Surely, the company get a place big enough to accommodate all staff, even if they risk it being undersubscribed?

The company sound tight.

I had a similar experience over thirty years ago and it still irks me now. I had 6 weeks maternity leave when an event was announced and took place. I was forgotten about.

If you are responsible for arranging this event each year, this is a lesson for next year. Fight her corner and insist management pay up for her.

“I have told her that she was eventually given a space, which she rejected, and no company policies were broken in the way it was organised, and that she should accept that, and maybe she will be able to attend next year. I would like advice on how one should resolve this issue, or leave it as it is, as this is not the company's fault she couldn't attend last minute.”

So the position is:

• you complied with your employer’s policy in carrying out the task you are directed to undertake;
• this other employee doesn’t like her employer’s policy;
• this other employer wants you to make her dislike of your employer’s policy your personal responsibility and wants you to lobby your employer to give her monetary compensation.

If this employee thinks she has a legitimate grievance against her employer, she should look up her employer’s grievance policy and submit a complaint under that grievance procedure.

It’s not your job to “resolve” this for her. It’s up to her to pursue her complaint against her employer through the correct channels. Hassling you is not the correct channel.

Should have either booked somewhere that had room for everyone or put the names in a hat! Crap way to behave.

@HannahP2024 You can’t go back and undo what the company did to this one employee. Reward strategy principles are very simple they should Attract, Retain and Motivate employees.

What you can do is:
a) apologise to the employee and confirm the rules will change so this never happens again.
b) change the rules for next year so all employees who want to can go, or if you have to limit capacity do not use first come first serve. Also have an option for those who don’t want/couldn’t to attend.
c) make a diary note when planning next years event to check that this employee can definitely make the date.
d) I know there maybe no budget, but you need to find a way to make here feel heard and appreciated for her contribution.

Either it is 'an event everyone looks forward to' or 'not everyone is interested'.

How to deal with her? What are you thinking your options are?

This. It's a recipe for disaster.

It’s unfair but I’d let her take it up with HR

Take a step back - what is your company trying to achieve by these events? Is it to make really good staff feel they are valued, create loyalty to the company amongst people who make the company more money than basic targets, to attempt to make staff create friendships and loyalty to each other, and therefore less likely to leave the company to go work elsewhere.

This event has created the opposite effect. Is she a good employee? Has she contributed to you making more money than targets? Would it be less likely you’d break targets next year if she and all the other waitlisted people decided to go work somewhere else?

if the answer to those questions is yes- you need to make sure this doesn’t happen again. It would be better to scrap the event completely than hold an event that makes some valued employees feel their employer doesn’t value them so might as well go see if they can get an extra grand or two elsewhere.

at the point there was a waiting list, the venue should have been cancelled and a new one that could fit everyone else in was found. What did it cost, £50 per head? Better to give each employee a voucher for Amazon/John Lewis etc for that than risk holding an event that costs you good employees or makes them think “why bother going above and beyond anymore?”

Next year you must have no event or an event that can accommodate everyone even if everyone doesn’t go.

We were invited to a celebratory event at my son's workplace, they could bring guests! It was way over catered and we all got a goodie bag to take home and several bar tokens instead of the advertised number.
It's always best to minimise expectations but over deliver, not the other way around. Next year make sure everyone in the organisation is accommodated.

I'd do some lessons learned from this, document, options on resolution and pass it up to a decision maker.

It could be discriminatory in the way it is organised, but it also isn't always possible to arrange for 100% attendance. I really like the PP CEO and downwards for waitlists option.