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

Are you HR? If not, you need to pass this on now. It's getting into equality of benefits territory.

That's not what OP said.

Totally agree.

The event need to change. It designed to thank people but all it does at the moment is thank some people and alienate and exclude some. This is a really crap system.

How does an employee sign up to the event? You say it's 'first come, first served'. Is it through email where she could have scheduled one to be sent during her leave or is it a list up in the office?

That is such a piss poor way of running an event. What kind of company is this?

Is it not?

Unfortunately first come first served for spaces, and she was on annual leave that day when all spaces got filled up. :-(

My workplace has had the odd event with limited numbers. One of these perks is a big annual event with lots of activities, there's a staff lotto for the tickets - you put down your wish list in order. The tickets team then randomise people's names and put them in an order, run through everyone's first choices in that order, then their second choices etc. This is pretty arduous to do but means there's a good chance everyone gets some of their top picks.
People get a couple of weeks to put their entries in so everyone has time etc.

I'd recommend - even if you can't accommodate the free meal etc - an acknowledgment of the issue is to change the policy for next year. Everyone gets, say, 2/3 weeks to enter to catch all part time and annual leave staff, then it's on a lotto basis. If it is communicated it is limited but fairly (randomly) allocated that's fine in my eyes so long as it's not the only event in the year. Everyone should have a chance to attend something!

I think this person would felt 'heard' if you changed to something like this next year and it is fairer.

I think your main issue is first come first serve. This disadvantages part timers, people who are sick, those on leave etc. If you can't book a venue that will fit all have an over subscription process...sign up by X date (process over more than one calendar week and not school holidays). If over subscribed names out of a hat (including senior managers)

TBF I can see that the company don't want to compensate her because that leaves them open to - now and in future - people not going because they'd rather have the cash or vouchers to do something nice with family and friends instead of colleagues, and people making excuses not to go to the work event but still getting the free food.

However it's a terrible way to organise it. Book a venue that accommodates 100% of staff. If you only have to cater for 75% that's fine but the way it's been done is shitty. What about the part timers, if the invite came out on their NWD then they're losing out for being part time and that is actually for tribunal ...

Very poor of the company. If they want to do something like this they need to book a venue that accommodates everyone and accept that some will be unable to attend or may not want to. To book somewhere that’s too small and put people on waiting lists shows a complete disregard for their staff. Sounds like a dreadful place to work.

How do you deal with it?
Your company issues an apology to employees for the piss poor way they have handled this situation in the past.
This lady gets a voucher for a restaurant of her choice.
The company learns their lesson and next year books a venue that can hold ALL invited employees.

There should have been spaces for everyone. The waiting list thing just shows the company only values some employees ie those that got a place.
A company I worked for held a celebration event for its xx years anniversary and only invited senior colleagues- so about a third of the staff. They hired a fancy venue, had speakers, food and drinks for an afternoon into evening event. The people that delivered most of the work were not invited and were not happy. The company also invited lots of people from the industry they operate in.
As the date got closer it was evident that most of the invited industry people either hadn't responded or had declined. The company were then desperate to "fill" the empty places with staff that originally were not considered important enough to attend just so they wouldn't look bad to their industry for having a half empty event (trade press attended to cover the event).
In the end it was compulsory for all staff to attend 😂
There was no repetition for the next big anniversary 🧐
Muppets

require compensation for missing a work perk is mad…

why? Imagine the company had been giving out £100 gift cards as a thank you bonus but they distributed them on a day you were on leave and you missed out. You don’t think it would be reasonable to make a fuss and claim your perk?

Well yes. If my boss waited until I was on annual leave to give everyone else £100 and didn't save a gift card for me I'd be really pissed off. So would anyone if you are being honest

The venue needs to be big enough to accomodate all staff who are invited. She is in the right to complain.
It doesn't matter, that it's always been the case that only 75 % show up. Things
need to change. You need to admit this.
Staff and their childcare providers can't be expected to have everything on hold, just in case they suddenly get a golden ticket!
The company is definitely at fault - it needs to cough up for bigger venue/delegate the organising to someone who can use the available funding in a fair way.

Worded my comment wrong and can't edit because the mumsnet app is rubbish!

A venue that would accommodate everyone should have been chosen. If she was AL when the invitation went out I don’t blame her for being annoyed.

She could even potentially go at the indirect discrimination angle. I bet more of the men in the waiting list could get to the party with one day notice, but more of the women will have to organise childcare. Your waitlist therefore gave a bonus to male colleagues over female.

''@Baital I would be pissed off if my employer held a celebration to thank staff, but didn't accommodate all the staff who wanted to attend.''

This. Just bad organisation...

Just organise events that can accommodate everyone. Problem solved. Stick it in the policy if you want. I cannot imagine my organisation having a waiting list for this kind of thing and when you are doing worse than my company for staff morale, you are doing very badly indeed.

This person summed up what to do going forward perfectly.
Yes, the current set up isn't fair at all and needs addressing for next year.
When my team at work won department of the year we all had a meal voucher to use in the canteen 😂 Good old public sector : ) but it made everyone happy.

Asking for a free meal is ridiculous and I agree with the company that they shouldn't entertain it. It's the thin end of the wedge and will likely lead to more and more people trying to claim compensation if they can't attend the event (eg I was on pre-booked annual leave, I was sick, I don't like the colour of the carpet).

If the size of the team means practically you can't book a venue that will accommodate 100% without losing a lot of money if only 75% come (and this can be an issue - my large company events always have a numbers restriction because to allow for everyone to be able to come would mean a massive venue, and all venues have minimum attendee requirements), then I agree with others it should be a random lotto or (best) the senior leadership should be the first ones put on the waitlist. Eg the CEO can turn up, do a speech (with someone else out of the room for the speech if there are health and safety constraints on numbers) and then head home. They don't need to properly attend.

I would definitely decline a wait list space for a work event and would feel really unappreciated by my employer

There's obviously no way the company would approve giving her a meal and drinks, if they do that they have to do it for everyone who didn't attend - then in future years people don't attend because they'd prefer just to have the voucher for dinner and drinks, when the whole point is for staff to celebrate together.

It's absolutely standard for big company events to have numbers based on an expected level of non attendance and paced first come first served so she's being massively cheeky. And no they haven't done anything wrong by excluding her because a) they didn't exclude her and b) I even if she hadn't got a place there was nothing personal in it.

The only concession I would expect to be made to her would be to change the process for future events e.g.

1. change the policy for sign up so that people are notified in advance of the date sign up opens so that anyone on annual leave at the time is aware and able to log on from wherever they are and reserve a place should they wish to
2. maybe plan for some spare capacity by expected numbers so e.g. if you expect 75% you allow for 80% Or if possible
3. ask for expressions of interest to gauge capacity required before booking a venue