Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

[Fern]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

Here's an amusing story about this subject.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/fashion/03mingle.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

My husbands company party is today, during lunch, on site.

he is off site, working thru lunch....not so nice....

in general if he can go he does..calls it networking...though we both get irritated at after hours non paid time..

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

“At parties, you have to remember that nobody is thinking about you,” she said. “They’re all just thinking about themselves. So anything you do is usually fine.”
heh....from Ferns link

[tgavin71]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

I don't work but I go to my school's P and C party. I missed it this year because I had to take my son to the emergency medical centre. Its paid for by us but it is nice to get out and socialise with adults.
My husbands company books out an all you can eat/drink resort for two days on the Great Barrier Reef. It is for staff only. Damm.

[PRICEPLUS]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

Never have and never will. After work partys are not something I care towaste my time at!

[aurielle]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

DH is new at his job so this will be his first holiday party with this company. They provide dinner, pay for half of the hotel room and there's supposed to be a raffle. It's this Friday and we'll be attending (if I ever get over this cold/fever I came down with last weekend.) He says we'll attend this one because he's new, but not in the future.

Mine is at our dept. head's house a week from Friday, its potluck hors d'oeuvres and drinks. (Gov't job) For some reason DH likes to go to my office Xmas parties.

[ren]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

Wouldn't dream of skipping mine. Aside from the 'not a team player' label, our office closes after 3 hours, does a long lunch, and then we all get to go home once we're done.

Free prime rib and paid like I worked a full day? I love my company.

[lrjohnson]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

We have an onsite luncheon, very casual, kinda potluck, with the turkey and ham paid for and people who don't bring food can contribute money for the lunch. No County money can pay for it, so it is from "rec fund" money generated by office pools, etc. Kids come, there's a Santa, there's a weird tradition of units singing the 12 Days of Christmas and trying to be the most outrageous, musically or lyrcially, with their section of the song.

The there's the agency wide dinner, lots more epople, not kids, free food for the employees from my branch (rec fund money) with spouses, etc. costing $25, decent food, booze costs money but as I don't drink I don't care. Dancing after the meal.

I prefer the luncheon. I usually go to both, but I've missed the dinner and lived. Part of the compulsion is the free food, but then I'm chubby, so it's like I'm being pulled in two directions!

[beebop25blue25]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

I wouldn't dream of not going to mine. These people are like my family!! I would be the blacksheep of the bunch, lol!! Plus they give us $1,000 bucks and a gift!! If nothing else, gotta go for my gifts

[titi]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

Our Christmas Party is 1 hour at lunch and it is mandatory attendance. The managing partner has threatened to fire anyone who doesn't attend! Secret Santa is also mandatory but we get a free lunch so I'll be there and I used a gc I got for my birthday to buy the secret santa gift

Hahaha! What an idiot! Probably the next step is to order you to smile all the time and be happy, otherwise he might shoot you!

Btw, does leaving the party early lead to a life sentence?

I have had bosses who had been in the military but even they didn't use so much brute force. Probably he is thinking that this is the right way to build a team?

[cicy33]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

Definitely going, as said, free food! but also I am trying to create a career and I think that it is important to be a part of it. I also dont' drink but who says I have to drink to have a good time?

[Mabuisakura]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

I love x-mas parties!! Free food and I get to show off the baby!

[WellManicuredMan]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

I think this relates to the other thread about people you work with that are annoying. When it comes to off-site unpaid get togethers with co-workers, I never go. Here's how I look at it, I have to spend 40+ hours a week with these people, why would I want to spend my free time with them as well? Ok, so there's a lot of people I don't like that I work with if you couldn't tell, LOL.

[BCHGRL]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

Depends. If it is the 20 people that I work with daily, sure. If it is for 300 people, not so much. If it is during work hours, sure. If it is after work hours, maybe. There are so many parties between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year there was 1) Thanksgiving for everyone in the building (work hours) then 2) offsite thanksgiving for my office of 20 (work hours). Now there will be 3) a children's Christmas party (after hours) 4) a small group party (work hours) 5) another small group party (after hours) and 6) big "corporate" party (after hours). I might be forgetting one or two. These are all of my parties and don't include the two parties for my husband, a party for his part time job and a party for his full time job.

[ren]

Re: Does Anyone Else Boycott Office Xmas Parties?

I agree with WellManicuredMan. My off the clock time is mine. But, like I said, our office closes at 11:00 and we do lunch, generally done by 3:00 at the latest, and we're paid for the full day. I don't mind that.

Now, when my supervisor was trying to guilt the team into coming up to her house for her July Fourth cookout, when she lives in the boonies (about 90 minutes from me)... Um, no. We all shot that down fast.