Do you have to pay for xmas party?

grandturistmo

Reason is we do, we were invited to it by top brass as they say but the catch is everyone has to pay for their own!
We work in private sector..
Is this the norm?! (I hope not!)

humanji

My old job we had to pay (about €15, I think), but in the new place it's all free!

c - 13

Free for employees, €60 for partners

Rb

Last year the company I was working for didn't put so much as a red cent towards the Christmas Party. We had to pay for literally everything, they booked us some space in a bar in town and that was it.
This was a huge company that I was working for, multi-millions in profit per year and yet they couldn't throw even a few hundred towards our Christmas party...fecking scrooges.

Aidan78

My Section is going for a Christmas lunch around the middle of December and it's €45 - just for the lunch. Drinks afterwards are an extra expense.

The whole organisation has a type of Christmas party in January and that's free. But it's not the same when it's not before Christmas.

In my last job, management coughed up for everything and the whole section often went down the country to a posh hotel for a night of drinking and feasting - all free.

Not now

Mossy Monk

no. don't have to pay for it. not that i would anyway. probably wont be able to go anyway

Dutz

were going to a 5 star hotel for the night accomodation dinner and drinks all free - - - cant wait

Gaspode

grandturistmo wrote:

Reason is we do, we were invited to it by top brass as they say but the catch is everyone has to pay for their own!
We work in private sector..
Is this the norm?! (I hope not!)

Dont think there is any norm really. Some employers are scrooges, others are post-ghost-visit scrooges.
I work in the public sector and have to pay €30 for a (probably dodgy) meal in the Halfway House. I think this is a disgrace - your taxes should be treating me to a good night out, with free beer at least, if not overnight accomodation in a nice hotel, 4-star would do. :mad:

lodgepole

We're being brought to Galway (from Dublin) with free booze on our own train carriages, free booze and dinner in the hotel and rooms for night. Same treatment on the way home the next day. Plus they're flying people in from the US, from Australia and from Scotland. Hopefully next years will be in Oz...

Stench Blossoms

Nope, all paid for including drink.

leeroybrown

Last year mine (12 people) was a good meal out in a decent restaurant with good wine. That was all covered and afterwards we went to a bar and paid for our own drinks. This year will be pretty much the same with a slightly more expensive restaurant.

The year beforehand my previous employer (about 50 people) supplied some beer at work at the end of the day followed by transport to a bar/resturaunt for a good meal and drinks. At the end of the night we were all transported home. All free of charge. It takes a decent chunk of cash to pay for that many people to get very drunk and the look on the financial controllers face when he got the bill the following week was priceless.

I think it's always a good one to spend money on if you value staff morale. Everyone will always point out how good the Christmas party was. I know of one manager who got an ever decreasing staff party allowance from his head office until the point where he was actually joking to them that next year even a trip to MacDonalds would require a staff contribution. It was stupid on behalf of the bean counters in head office because the staff then spend most of December compailning to people they knew/met about the skinflint ba*trds they worked for. Not good if you're a company that needs good image.

Ruu_Old

It went from our company paying for all if it, that was 3 years ago. It went to us paying some and then this year there is nothing at all. Suits me fine, I don't go and hope they all choke on their food.:)

Alter-Ego

Everything free for me. €50 for partners. Its an all day affair also!!

TerrorFirmer

9 Euro. Not so bad.

SoupyNorman

Took us to Citiwest last year, fab meal and free booze. More of that this year please.......

constitutionus

im seeing this more and more and i think its a ****ing disgrace. the whole point of a crimbo party is its a kickback to the staff for the effort they put in during the year (and ok a chance to shag the girls in head office that you'll never see again ) yet alot of the people ive talked to are asked to pony up cash for their christmas do. i was just talking earlier today with one of the girls who said they have to fork out for their do. personally my company covers the cost and chuck in about 3 free drinks as well for good measure (that said it is an irish multinational which makes millions so its the least the feckers can do ) we used to have free bars but they kinda learned their lesson there a few years back and that was the end of that.

TBH i havent gone the last few years cause the companys got very "corporate" and less staff friendly i.e they sacked half the people i know, and i dont feel like hanging around a bunch of middle managment types. last do i was at was in the conrad. nice place and the food was ok. put plainly though i plan to go this year, mainly cause i may not be in the company next year, i always find myself hmming and hawwing about going right up to and including the night of the do. i mean my job is pretty much a one man show now so i dont really know anyone up in head office anymore. christ even the people that hired me are gone now! still i'll probably go, mainly because in a marvelous fluke of timming my last holiday for the year falls on the day after the party so maybe thats a sign

Collie D

Ours is free which is the only reason anyone's going, if we'd to pay I'd prefer a few of us getting together and doing out own ting rather than the place the company have booked, Same as last year, tapas food, no DJ or music so as soon as bar loses we're off

constitutionus

Collie D wrote:

Ours is free which is the only reason anyone's going, if we'd to pay I'd prefer a few of us getting together and doing out own ting rather than the place the company have booked, Same as last year, tapas food, no DJ or music so as soon as bar loses we're off

the three years i didnt go to the official do thats exactly what i did. got together with the guys and the manager and had a few jars

anthonymcg

Yep we have to pay for it. €130 or thereabouts afaik. Down to a hotel overnight, entertainment etc, staying there and then back the next day.

Travelling down is up to ourselves too.

monkeyfudge

We're covering the cost of our Christmas party. It's a function room in a good hotel with a meal to be served and mulled wine for those who arrive early. It's costing us about €35 a head, partners aren't allowed but guests are free to show up after the meal for evening.

Myself and the rest of the management team might go for a meal in a restaurant at some stage too.

super_furry

anthonymcg wrote:

Yep we have to pay for it. €130 or thereabouts afaik. Down to a hotel overnight, entertainment etc, staying there and then back the next day.

Travelling down is up to ourselves too.

Why would anyone go?

Heyes

Dutz wrote:

were going to a 5 star hotel for the night accomodation dinner and drinks all free - - - cant wait

and you work where exactly ???

Nope dont have to pay for chrimbo party, if i did i wouldnt be too impressed at all. Its the least a company can do tbh.

nlgbbbblth

we get €35 towards it which doesn't go very far.
the company I work for is a subsidiary of the fifth biggest bank in the world.

biko

30 euros, no partners allowed. Grand anyway - just a good drinking session with the work mates. Buffet, live band, the works. One year we had Macnas showing up.

admiralofthefleet

we are giving the staff in my work a meal and 5 free drinks in town, which is fair, would love to have macnas

Stephen

We pay a tenner but we get a 5 course meal in a good hotel with band & disco and a couple of free drinks and some spot prizes (that's what the tenner's for).

petes

Free here. Meal then pub. Still end up spending a few quid.

godtabh

Ours is free.

Used to be a hotel down to country with our other office. One is based in Dublin one in Waterford and used to travel the same distance to some place so it was fair.

Dont do that any more. A meal, drinks in the pub and then entry into a niteclub. Last year it was good. The directors put their hands in their pockets alot so fair play.

I think this year its just a meal and then the pub. I'm happy enough with that!

ScumLord

We pay €20 a head towards it and get free drink and transport.

Sleepy

I would raise hell if asked to pay for the office Christmas party. Well, not hell exactly, just not go and be *very* vocal as to the reason, then arrange an 'unofficial' night for myself and the gang I work with.

seamus

Free here, but they don't massively splash the cash. Maybe about €1.5k on a department of 30.

The last two years were communal affairs where loads of companies book a couple of tables, and you've got 200 people enjoying dinner and entertainment. Pretty good food, but it all has a bit of a wedding-afters feel to it.

This year we're going to a restaurant across the road, with a nightclub above it.

The good thing is that although they never spend too much on the food and booking part of the night, we all usually end up langers on the company credit card.