[Closed] People moaning about their (free) work Christmas meal/party

Our CEO decided to take people to a michelin star restaurant (admittedly, it wasn't the usual standard of grub they knocked out for us) and buy them all a mont blanc pen. People still complained. They complained a couple of years ago as the blue ipod they were bought had lower resale value than black or white or whatever.

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bloody whiney [s]middle-class[/s] private sector cockbags 😉

Some people need to get out more.

MrSmith - Member

*picture*

No, that's what they'll look like after they've taken advantage of the COPIOUS FREE DRINKS.

Your employer does not have to do it.

I'd rather he didn't.

I feel obliged to go, but I'd rather sit at home looking at a wall, than sit looking at his face as he moans, whinges, and bangs on about work all night.

Some people are just at their happiest when whining like a jet engine.

Just watch how this thread pans out if you needed any proof...

I quite enjoy ours, although there's usually a choice of at least 3 (department, potentially multiple projects, company) which means I can avoid TGI Fridays and pick the project one I like the look of (usually a half decent lunch at a pub/restaurant).

[quote=binners said]Some people are just at their happiest when whining like a jet engine.
Just watch how this thread pans out if you needed any proof...

Ironing etc. 🙂

binners - Member

Just watch how this thread pans out if you needed any proof...

😀

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😉

Its the same with peoples wages,always complaining like we forced them in to taking the job at the pre agreed salary.

Announced the full, traditional and succulent menu to our actual christmas dinner to the wife's grandparents yesterday, which recieved the respose "I'd prefer beef" from her grandad. He's on dark meat.

You'll never catch me moaning about ours.. (private sector - Engineering)

Yep, the food was pretty crap this year, but the unlimited free booze + day out of the office to attend it (lunch time event - met in pub at midday) more than made up for it.
I'm quite happy to be paid a days money to drink free booze.

My wife (teacher) is having to pay for her evening event. (quite right too, etc)

It's our Christmas do tonight and we've all paid a bit extra this year as the annual allowance of £25 per head has stayed the same since the dark ages so you don't quite get the same kind of event we'd all like (probably to do with taxable allowances).

I think that must've weeded out those that would rather not go but couldn't really find a reason not to as everything I've heard from anyone so far has been positive. We'll wait till the morning to find out if everyone's still happy.

Either way it's an evening out with some people I like working with and the food, a couple of drinks and the entertainment are all paid for. No complaints here.

I think there are just people that like a good moan and if the current topic of conversation is the company Christmas do then so be it.

thestabiliser - Member

He's on dark meat.

And no pudding?

We abandoned having one due to

moaning, griping, whining or complaining about the arrangements

We're quite a "diverse" organisation, which means if you put on the traditional turkey-and-trimmings Christmas you get a significant number of people suggesting that it's culturally insensitive / inappropriate but if you put on curry / Chinese / Caribbean then you get a different sgnificnat number of people complaining that "it's not Christmassy" so in the end we decided to be fair to everyone and not have one at all.

And we're a "dry" organisation so even when we did have one, it was Cranberry Juice and fizzy pop, no paid-to-drink-beer here...

Ho Ho Ho

No staff one arranged here.
We went for a curry yesterday with the research group and talked about all things not science. I had a chat with a guy whose father runs a trawler, we normally only talk about science things.
Frankly, it was an excellent time out. Two hours I'd have just spend pushing words around otherwise.

Is there no halal/kosher/vegan/gluten free alternative?

Mind you I only have to go out on the town with "the lads" for a steak and loads of ale so that's not so bad. A few years ago I was subjected to the full corporate "cockbags in suits" do at some trendy bar full of footballers which was utterly dreadful.

I've moaned about ours, but we pay ourselves, it was crap last year, this year we're going back (Yates ffs) despite it seems most of us not wanting to. When the email went round in the autumn I expressed my distaste for the venue (as I'd been asked my opinion, and was met with "organise it yourself then!". i didn't, I've paid my money (under £20 for 3 courses).

Yesterday in the office we were talking about it, and our jealousy of another department actually going somewhere nice, transpires most people would have paid the £30 a head they are, but didn't want to rock the boat, so didn't say anything in case they seemed awkward....

So, we'll go tomorrow afternoon, eat some reheated shite, talk shop to the people that bother coming, then I'll slope off, meet my mates, get trollied and eat some junk food very soon after! 😳

In contrast, my other half is self employed and a firm she works for is very generous, took everyone (including partners) out in the summer for a bug meal/drinks/cycling weekend, all paid for, xmas do last week, all paid for, again, and announced they want to take us all to London for a night away and 5 course taster menu at The Shard in the spring. You cannot lose, and I've never been taken up the shard before.

The sprouts were bl88dy awful at ours 😀

Last year with work I went to a fancy black tie dinner with free alcohol and got absolutely smashed for free with the hotel all paid for, was awesome. I could've gone this year again but I'm working the day after and it's gonna be really busy 🙁 the xmas dinner for our department this year involves getting a train all the way down to London just for a curry so I'm not bothering.

Is there no halal/kosher/vegan/gluten free alternative?

We sourced halal turkey one year. To be fair, that did bring everyone together - everybody hated it.

Miserablenessism certainly comes to the fore at Christmas. I'm ambivalent about these parties, I go but I have to, some people like them, some don't. Asking to leave work 2 hours early to 'get ready' on the other hand is a total WTF. No bugger off get back to work.

My office one is tonight some of the younger staff are getting very excited about it all, I'm "less excited". I'm sure it'll be fine, and conveniently its only 20 minutes from home, so I can slope off at some after the meal.

We had a dinner with Black Stig speaking, wanted the 1st white one but he was OK really.

Well the champagne this year definitely wasn't from a good vintage and the foie gras was served too warm. Still, we made do with taking turns to flog the serving staff after coffee had been served.

What is this free?

My employer this year announced we won't get a christmas bonus, and we'll have to pay for the xmas meal.
Not many attended.

Ours has been cancelled due to a company take over and the redundancies that ensued. A good move overall I think but it was traditionally a great night of free food, free drink and getting evidence to wind people up about for the following 12 months.

Other things in my life meant I went to neither office Christmas party this year, but three weeks ago I went to a rather s****y charity dinner (i.e. where the high rollers are bidding £20k upwards for the auction prizes), and this week alone has involved: X Factor final + VIP party on Sunday night, team lunch on Monday, Christmas drinks with my sister on Tuesday and management team night out in Chsiwick last night (Karaoke, natch).

Other than seeing my sister, none of these things have cost me a penny*. And they were all great fun.

However I'm now shattered and need to dry out....

*Tell a lie: Mrs North bought a new dress for the X Factor. I'll basically end up paying for that.

When one job long ago hired out the Albert Hall for their xmas do, well nothing much lived up to it in my jobs since.

I usually find them cheap and tacky events, with bland food, rubbish beer (if any beer at all) and being forced to socialise with people you'd normally want to punch in the face.

A team curry and/or piss up, minus the boss, yeah that's okay. If you get along with the rest in the team.

And good god please no... not bloody Secret Santa! 👿

What is this free?

My employer this year announced we won't get a christmas bonus, and we'll have to pay for the xmas meal.

yeah, that.
rest of my office has gone to the panto today.
panto + half day holiday = no thx + peace and quiet to peruse STW.

so in the end we decided to be fair to everyone and not have one at all.

I'm really uncomfortable with this. But I don't really want to put my huge foot into it.. oh what the hell..Is it not unfair to those whom celebrate Christmas as a long standing UK cultural event?

and I've never been taken up the shard before.

😯

Now, I preface this rantette by saying I have not attended, and do not plant to attend, either my departmental Christmas meal, nor the firm Christmas party. I may therefore be taken to be a Grinch, Scrooge or just a miserable barsteward.

But honestly - the number of people who have been moaning, griping, whining or complaining about the arrangements for the (free) Christmas meal that work have put on - "it's too late, it's too early, I don't like the venue, the food won't be any good" etc etc.

It. Is. Free.

Your employer does not have to do it.

A total absence of any kind of gratitude. Boils my micturate, so it does.

Yep. I didn't go to mine, either. It's my choice and I exercised it. However, I wouldn't complain about a free feed if I had gone.

We get SFA never have done never will Joys of PS

Ours was last night, wasn't paid for though but it doesn't really matter. In a previous year work did pay and people who chose not to go moaned about that, "Why should you get something I don't".

It was really good though, always is. Though we must be slipping as this is the first year that nobody came from our competitors (last year, one person stood up her own company night out to come and join ours, seal of approval...)

In a previous year work did pay and people who chose not to go moaned about that, "Why should you get something I don't".

Ah, people are great aren't they?

Happy to say my whole team came to ours last Fri, apart from the guy who's trekking in Nepal, the inconsiderate sod. Even got a couple of guys back for it who've moved on to different jobs this year.
Boss bought the curry, I bought the beers and we carried on for a good few hours afterwards in a couple of pubs.
Was a really good night, standing rule that anyone mentioning work had to get a round in certainly helped!

The place I used to work had a free Christmas do and you were expected to attend. The trick was to stay long enough to satisfy the senior management but to leave before the inevitable fight kicked off.

People get a *free* christmas meal?

Can't remember the last time I didn't have to pay for mine. Oh, actually, I can, it was 15y ago.

Is it not unfair to those whom celebrate Christmas as a long standing UK cultural event?

We haven't banned anyone from celebrating Christmas - the company however isn't paying for, nor letting people be absent from work for, a meal or other event as part of it. We don't do anything for any other long standing UK cultural events either (Queen's Birthday? Wimbledon? X Factor final?), nor eid, passover, diwali etc so it seems pretty fair to me tbh.

I like our christmas dos. Its been a tough year and we've lost some good people, but some of them still came back for the christmas do.

Everything is paid for - its like attending the more generous sort of wedding, but without the boring speeches.

I work for a small, staff-owned company so one way to look at it is that our Christmas meal is actually coming out of our bonus. It is however generally pretty good (even considering that we're generally socially hopeless software engineers). Most of the complaining that goes on is usually from whichever poor sod it is whose name came out of a hat and was told to organise it. Last year that was me. Getting a company of 11 people to agree to a date, a venue and a menu was like herding cats!

Got ours tonight.
Six of us out for a Lebanese.
I have no idea if I'm paying for myself, it hasn't been discussed.
It's a night out though isn't it?

I have variously enjoyed and not enjoyed my work ones. Depends who you work with, if they're good fun it's a nice night out, isn't it?

My wife - hasn't worked (apart from for herself) for 12 years and hence hasn't had a work do and has been jealous. She now works as a school administrator, and got the job of organising the meal out for her and her colleagues this year.

FFS! She got three options and they voted on it, so inevitably some people didn't get their choice. Not her fault, it's a democracy. She then negotiated a discount on the meal (10% - it's something) as they have to pay for it themselves. So she negotiated £2.50 off the meal (£25 down to 22.50, includes some wine) but then there's a 10% service charge and that'll be on the whole cost, not the £22.50 discounted cost. Some people have complained about the 25p difference!!

And finally - she also negotiated 2for1 on cocktails in a nearby bar for after the meal, but people complained that they didn't want to stay afterwards and wouldn't therefore benefit as much*.

Some people just like to moan.

* The wife is staying, is enjoying her 2 for 1 cocktails, and judging from the increasingly fruity texts I've been getting is quite well on her way. I however am on a train somewhere between York and London and suspect by the time I'm home fruitiness will have been replaced by snoring.

Its not free, it paid for with a tiny portion of the profits made on the work I do.

Christmas party? I'm even working Christmas day and 1st January. Another public sector worker here.

Christmas parties can suck my balls.

Bad enough having to work with the goof bags!

I'd rather he didn't.
I feel obliged to go, but I'd rather sit at home looking at a wall, than sit looking at his face as he moans, whinges, and bangs on about work all night.

We don't have one - work for a charity so spending cash on staff jollies isn't a sensible thing to do. Or if the Daily mail are reading they'll translate that as "our chief exec is spending some of his 50 million salary on taking us all to the fat duck as we've had such a good year selling details of all our supporters to East European scammers" .

Well muffin-MTFU and don't go.

You need to meet my boss! An evening of shite is easier than a years worth. 😀

And no-ones vibe is spoiled - none of us really want to be there. It would be great without our boss there as we all get along (7 of us) but how do you tell your boss not to come?

...even his own son had accidentally 'double-booked' this year so couldn't make it.

Thanks for the idea someone up there ^ I'm going to propose the 'whoever mentions work buys a round' rule tomorrow!

Might be handy after my huge bust up with the boss this week............

Happy to say my whole team came to ours last Fri, apart from the guy who's trekking in Nepal, the inconsiderate sod. Even got a couple of guys back for it who've moved on to different jobs this year.
Boss bought the curry, I bought the beers and we carried on for a good few hours afterwards in a couple of pubs.
Was a really good night, standing rule that anyone mentioning work had to get a round in certainly helped!

Sounds like this guy works in a place where people have a sense of humour, are not suffering from various personality disorders and get on reasonably well.

I was not aware of such workplaces.

The really telling thing is that I am actually going to a work Xmas do - my wife's. This is because they invite other halves, they invite former colleagues, have a laugh, and are mostly really nice people. I will probably be the youngest there, but never feel out of place as they are not socially challenged.

So, won't go to my own Xmas do, but will go to one with comparative strangers where I do have to pay my way. Speaks volumes!

Had a really great team night out on Friday, few beers, then onto a nice local bar restaurant that we booked on the proviso it wasn't a Xmas menu. Wine beers and spirits all flowing, wicked food and a right good laugh. I spent a tenner and that was my taxi home, drank from 3-11 on the boss's card.

Told him I really appreciated it too when sober back at work on Monday.

Not a single moan all night either, result.

We make our own, roast quarter of a cow (was going to be lamb this year, but next door retrieved it from our yard). Easy doing it at our own pace, everyone does a little bit. Only complaint is the head rangers obsession with red cabbage, makes enough for 20, but only 2 people seem to have it, even the dogs turn their noses up at it.

Eating until I burst tomorrow.

Our team didn't get a work meal or anything, every other team in the company did

I couldn't care less, it's a bit of a first world problem, but man do other people like to have a moan about it

We had ours last week. It's the first one I've gone to, I've been there just over a year but didn't go last year. We're lucky, they take over the whole pub for the night, put 'X' amount of money behind the bar so free drinks until it runs out, load of food laid on, dj and boogieing if that's your thang.

But, I'm gonna moan! ... Being a bit antisocial as I get older, I'd like to have the choice that if I don't want to go I could have my share of the cost in my wages please as an xmas bonus. Bah humbug!

Will I go next year, oh yes! 😀

our civilianised jailers don't get a works Xmas party, but their employer gives them a £10 Xmas bonus to buy food/treats. But they have to put an itemised receipt in, as they can't buy alcohol.

So one of them went out and bought a packet of cucumbers and some KY jelly 😀

When we got taken over, our new management decided on a post-xmas bash near head office.

So we were invited to get ourselves from Dorset to Slough at our own expense, pay for the event, then another £30 for a hotel room to get back sober the next day.

Not many went.

I'm one of five contractors working in a loose grouping of about 20 software developers & testers. We the contractors are splitting the bill for all 20 between us. Food is £7.95 a head for 3 courses 😯 so we're allowing £2 a head for drinks, should come to about £50 per contractor

It's great working in Ripon 🙂

For most of the time I've been working at my present place I've not bothered going to the Christmas do, because it was usually at some s****y place like Bath Racecourse, with dancing and stuff, and we had to pay a fair bit towards it, plus I'd have to drive or else go on the minibus then be forced to stay until the bus returned.
However last year it was paid for, at a big posh public school that puts on corporate and public dos, so I went on the minibus and it was great fun! Huge place, loads of other companies there, including a print company that used to be part of our place, so was able to chat to a bunch of people I used to work with, some at two previous companies!
They had things going on outside as well, including dodgems, which was brilliant fun; I was a bit bruised the next day...
This year was held in a hotel in town, which suited me, I could walk there. Sat with a creat bunch, including two blokes who are external investors in the company; one of them used to own the brewery in Cornwall that brews Doombar, so he was interesting to chat to. Food was good, I hung around until the DJ came on and lots headed for the dance floor.
A couple of our sales/account managing team tried to get me to dance, but I just don't do that. They're very attractive girls too...
Anyway, I left at just gone ten, walked home, drove over to pick up my mate and we went to the pub. So a good evening all round.
Two days before I went to his Christmas do; he's a goldsmith, and the family business he works for know me and I get invited because we're best mates, went to quite a posh place in Bath, all drink paid for, excellent food, brilliant company, so a win all round, really. 😀

One of my friends who is a contractor was told he had to attend the xmas party until he said that if so compelled he would bill them for it as it was work

Giving mine a miss its taken me 7 years to Convice them being a veggi is not some death cult from the 60s never mind not drinking alcohol. More beer for them

Our team didn't get a work meal or anything, every other team in the company did

I took three of my teams out for lunch yesterday and the other two will go out in January as they have people off work. That's on top of our company/group meal a couple of weeks back.

Bah. Now they're all late in and hungover and all I can hear is "OMG! They did what?!?" etc ad infinitum ad nauseaum (sic).

Humbug. 😡

One of my friends who is a contractor was told he had to attend the xmas party until he said that if so compelled he would bill them for it as it was work

I'm sure I read that HMRC guidelines for Contractors were that attending social dos was an indicator that you are an employee and not a contractor....

Please don't moan about it, appreciatey ou get it and enjoy it. I'm a scheme project manager for network rail, our Xmas party was last night (public sector now so had to pay). Everyone went home at 2200 as we are gearing up for a massive work delivery during the Xmas blockade. That means hell of a lot of people working through Xmas, not seeing family, working in hard conditions doing a hard job. Basically: be grateful you miserably sods (or do a night shift and work on Xmas day). Rant over.

I'll moan if I want to.

You're not the boss of me!

My last boss put on a good doo paid for free bar at local eateries of our choosing and we got cash bonuses and he paid for hotels and taxies for the out of town lads and gave out more envelopes for the foremen to pay for more ale in town and again taxies home.

Did get a invite even though I left last year and the new company I work for one of the UK's biggest house builders and .... Yup didn't even get a bonus... No works do no cash not even a card.... So in revolt the site lads have organised one tomorrow of our own backs round town.

I worked for years in low paid labour jobs, often temporary, it was a step up when I worked somewhere that gave us a £25 supermarket voucher for Christmas, but the work - "operating" injection moulding machines - was so soul destroying and barely above minimum wage, that the first thought on recieving the voucher was to give it back (but of course I didn't).

Thankfully moved on (to entirely different field, actually using my skills) to somewhere where we're treated like humans and we get paid-for Christmas do's and other incentives.