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

Poor decision making and poor planning on the company's part.
Colleague needs a sincere apology and a huge bunch of flowers (well, I'd do the flowers!).

As a one-time-only restitution, they give this lady a restaurant voucher and in future they issue a "save the date" months in advance, with the actual booking and invitation conditional on exceeding the targets, so that people know not to book annual leave for then.

It’s hard to argue that a free meal unconnected to the firm is rationale as a resolution. I would not approve that.

The same will go for anyone on parental leave, sick or on holidays the day the mail comes out. The criteria is clear.

There are always things we can’t attend due to seniority, role and other factors - are they unfair too?

I think your employee is being unreasonable and could kill off a nice event just because it didn’t go her way.

My gut says "video games studio". I have friends and family in that industry and bonuses in kind without thinking through the legal consequences of doing so is basically "day ending in Y" for those companies.

You say your hands were tied, but I think there are things that could have been done which would have softened the blow:

an immediate apology at a high level and a promise that the system would be reviewed

a generous voucher for her and her partner to have a meal out on the companies tab

someone higher up the food chain offering her their place

Also , OP, if I was the person responsible for organising this mammoth cock up I would be apologising personally, and probably saying I didn’t want to be involved in making the arrangements again.

Why don’t the company book a place big enough for all employees, then if it’s a sit down meal or anything that has a charge per head give employees a deadline to RSVP by?

This is a stupid way to run a workplace event, but my god this woman sounds like trouble. I cannot comprehend making a huge drama out of this and demanding a free meal from my boss because I missed a party. Absolutely embarrassing and will do her no favours when she comes to be known as a difficult character and no one will have a chat with her unless they have witnesses.

This. What a drama lama she is, and it’s hardly worth making a fuss over.

Also, these parties are less likely to be run in future due to people like this.

The same will go for anyone on parental leave, sick or on holidays the day the mail comes out. The criteria is clear

There are several very simple ways to avoid this. If you really can’t find a venue that will accommodate everyone, why not email everyone acknowledging demand is high and putting a ballot in place. All entries to be received by x date (a month in future) so everyone has plenty of time.

Or more senior people give up their spaces.

I agree with others that it is a poor showing that everyone wasn't catered for from the beginning. But this is actually worse! So she "took the wrong day off"?! If it was oversubscribed (and as I said, that shouldn't really be the case) then who went should have been a lottery or something, so that everyubody who wanted to go was on an equal footing. This sent a message that taking a day off work and so missing out "is your own fault".

They weren’t given a fair chance to put their name down to attend, this is what you need to address.

next year why don’t you change it from a first come first serve basis to a ballot. Give people a couple of weeks to register their interest and then allocate the places randomly.

Then yes she has grounds for a complaint and a grievance. She wasn't given equal opportunity as she was left out of the initial announcement. You've screwed up here op. I agree with others that hiring a too small venue was really poor planning. I'd be curious to know if staff on maternity leave were also left out of the opportunity to book.

Indeed.

You wouldn't compensate anyone away on that day or sick with this extra payment would you?

We have always booked for around 80% of staff for Xmas parties and it's actually much worse since covid /working from home. But we do usually have capacity to fit all in if needed (just we don't want to commit to minimum spends these days which don't get used up)

Just because “it’s always been done that way” doesn’t make it right. I. Issues out on loads at work due to being part time and things being arranged on my days off. I know annual leave is different form missing out due to annual leave, but what a shitshow your workplace is for their poor organisation

Trouble is if this say 1000 people then booking for 1000 means paying say 50*250 for the 250 who may not turn up.

Which is a lot.

More wiggle room is probably needed in numbers -ie assume 750 but 800 is allowed. But still companies don't want to totally waste money on people who do not attend (drink one assumes is just pay as spend -but food may be a sunk cost?)

How dare she complain that she wasn't given the bonus she's earned!

Replace the meal with £50 cash and see how ridiculous you sound.

It's this simple.

Sorry but it’s not me that sounds ridiculous here (also see: childish, petulant, petty) and good luck to you if you’d actually make a fuss of this with your manager, your cards would be marked. My company gives out free lunches once a month but it’s not on one of my working days; should I be sending them an invoice for what I’ve spent in Pret instead? Absurd.

It's a crazy way to do it, but she was given a place, she then turned it down as to short notice. She knew the date. Yes perhaps she had to arrange childcare etc but I would have probably done that and hoped I got a space, if not I had childcare.

And the cash thing doesn't work, because if she was on a wait list for cash she was then offered it the day before

Sorry if I missed this but how did you manage waiting list movement ? Did everybody on the waiting list find out the day before or were people gradually bumped up over the month ? Finding out the day before is not good enough for a lot of people eg paid childcare is unlikely to be able to accommodate 24 hours notice.

How big is the company ? 400 employees would mean 100 missing out so probably warranted a second event where as 12 employees and 3 missing out is tight of the company and they should have formed out for 12 in the first place. First come first served is going to disadvantage some great employees eg part-time workers or those busy working with customers face to face so don’t check emails until later. If your colleague had checked her emails on her day off then she might have had a spot but she shouldn’t have to do that.

I don’t think that the company owe her a meal but they owe her an apology and commitment to find a fairer way next year. Paying her for a free meal opens the doors to employees asking for cash rather than attending future events.

If an employee's 'card is marked' for making a legitimate complaint about being denied a bonus, the company could find itself in serious trouble.

Some posters have pointed out the implications and risks that their handling of this event could disadvantage women (who are usually childcarers and more likely in practice to work PT or take maternity/parental leave etc). So treating a complainant less favourably due to this could meet the legal definition of victimisation in the workplace.

And tbh your situation of missing out on free lunches because you are PT sounds dodgy for exactly the same reasons, and in your shoes I would complain. Why should you lose out on a benefit that all other staff received when it is easily rectified (by, you know, varying the day the lunch is served)?

If the company is too big then the only fair way to do it is lottery. You give people say 2 weeks to apply and you draw names out of a hat. Even if it means bosses, you and the other organiser misses out, you can’t have a process that favours full time workers who have instant access to their emails. Some people in the business may have roles that involve travel or part-time hours but still contribute to profits.

Very poor and your comment about your hands being tied just makes it worse. What happened about women on maternity leave or those on sick or special leave on the day the event was announced? And who dropped out at the last minute and why?

I have noticed my organisation sometimes announces important time bound opportunities at times which especially disadvantage parents, most especially women, e.g. they announced a great career opportunity yesterday but lots were just starting leave to cover half term. I emailed some who may be interested so they don’t lose out by having less time to prepare.

rubbish, awful organising.
really bad.
How are you (as a company) going to apologise for being quite shitty?