Dreading the Xmas office party?

RayCon

Used to go to them , haven't been to one in the last 10yrs - haven't missed them.

Larbre34

Christmas parties used to be far more craic before political correctness and austerity. It was usually free bar and debauchery. Good times.

Now youre lucky if you dont have to pay yourself to endure the contrived bullsh1t that goes along with it. Worse still, you get types in offices going "oh but you're expected to attend"

If you generally get on with people in work, then grand, go for a pint with them. If you are being herded into a giant conference room full of fake smile christmas nonsense then just give it a pass...

rainbow kirby

Feck it, it's 4 hours in a fancyarse restaurant with everything paid for. Not too much to complain about there apart from the fact that I'm the only one on my team who drinks...

sh1tstirrer

punisher5112 wrote: »

Free beet and food go if not nah

Nothing like a good feed of sugar beet.

anncoates

Haven't went for a year or two but might go this year. Usually would rather use my sparse free time to meet friends at Christmas.

Work do is a free bar and it's nice being in town at Christmas time so unless you're working with a bunch of twats I don't see the issue. Just don't go if you don't like it.

eamonnq

tomwaterford wrote: »

I actually get along right well with work colleagues..touch wood...there sound outlike...but come half five I dont to hear sight nor sound of them until the next day....like I wouldn't give any of them my work number/be friends on Facebook etc with them....i would be pretty sure they prob feel the same like!!

Like I left a job before after working for three years day in day out with people and getting on well with them...and never spoke another word to most of them again...I've no reason to like!!

How many LIKES did you get ?

tomwaterford

tomwaterford wrote: »

your are lucky so...its just the people I work with...ive little or nothing in common with them
there all like married with kids etc...jesus even the two lads my age have kids....there none of them have any real interests outside of work....all they talk about is how much they hate there parthners and how boring there lives are etc and who they are doing the dirt on therparthners with (well admittedly that's just one lad...and I think its prue bull tbh)

I've always appeared to work people who are very sociable and are all up for going out on the beer regularly etc and also places that organise social events regularly so the Christmas night out is just one of many throughout the year.

When I have started in a new place though I would go in with the aim of making friends with people and any hint of a Friday night out or event I would go immediately and start getting to know people outside of work. There is no doubt I have made lifelong friends in my current place, I'm here a good few years are there are a group of us who are damn near as close as friends you would have grown up with.

Wabbit Ears

Basically an entire department of women havent spoken to me since last years Christmas party.

Party On Garth!!

I'm so not drinking at this years party...Such a spachild when drunk I am.

anncoates

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

Basically an entire department of women havent spoken to me since last years Christmas party..

Go you.

Neyite

I dont drink much so usually stay sober-ish and I have witnessed some wild behaviour at Christmas parties.

Married people copping off with each other, staff doing drugs, puking into pintglasses and handbags, drunk juniors telling senior bosses exactly why they are such gobsh!tes. Staff stripping off, lapdancing on their supervisors, Fights. The best one though was the office 'david brent' chatting up a lesbian (who brought her partner) colleague all night and being entirely mystified that he didnt pull.

I'm looking forward to the next one - better than Corrie or Eastenders any day.

wrote:

<snip>

That sort of thing annoys me. Places I've worked have always paid you and not expected you to take time off for work social events during working hours. Even the day after the Christmas party is a working day that people are not really expected to be seen or not seen until the afternoon at the earliest.

Peist2007

Have noticed this elsewhere but there is a whiff of it also on this thread. People really do treat work like school. See it all the time in my job where the day is time oriented rather than task oriented ie "once half five comes i am gone"
Something i have noticed since i started in the workplace and getting it here now while reading the thread.

mikemac1

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Feck it, it's 4 hours in a fancyarse restaurant with everything paid for.

Not for all. Some of us have to pay for our own party

Not a cent of it is subsidised

nocoverart

UCDVet wrote: »

I like to keep my work separate from everything else. Work is a business transaction, I give them hours of my time, they give me money. If you complicate it with personal attachments, it just gets messy. I've known so many people who stay in a crappy job or deal with a crappy boss because they feel a personal attachment to some co-workers or some boss or the owner or the customers.

In fact, companies spend a lot of money to try and artificially promote bonds between co-workers for exactly this reason. Team outings, summer parties, bring you children days, Christmas parties....it's all meant to make you feel like you are 'part of something'.

Naturally, the flip-side doesn't hold. When it's time to fire people to improve the bottom line; the soulless company will be happy to let you go.

It happens all the time. So and so worked his or her ass off for years, always helping out, pitching in, going above and beyond and feeling like he or she was apart of the company. And then the company fires them or shuts down their office because the handful of rich people running it can afford a 4th summer home by offshoring the jobs somewhere else.

Screw Christmas parties.
I have friends and family that I'll party with.

Overthink things much? something tells me you won't be missed.

Frigga_92

Peist2007 wrote: »

Have noticed this elsewhere but there is a whiff of it also on this thread. People really do treat work like school. See it all the time in my job where the day is time oriented rather than task oriented ie "once half five comes i am gone"
Something i have noticed since i started in the workplace and getting it here now while reading the thread.

And how do you feel about Christmas parties?

Peist2007

Peist2007 wrote: »

Have noticed this elsewhere but there is a whiff of it also on this thread. People really do treat work like school. See it all the time in my job where the day is time oriented rather than task oriented ie "once half five comes i am gone"
Something i have noticed since i started in the workplace and getting it here now while reading the thread.

I dont really notice it in this thread. Why do you have an issue with it anyway?

AndonHandon

Gannon Flat Crayon wrote: »

I dont really notice it in this thread. Why do you have an issue with it anyway?

I would have an issue with someone who thought so rigidly about their work; the area I am in involves a massive degree of job satisfaction with the money being incidental. As a result of this, fellow employees are not just colleagues but are teammates. What is good for the team is good for the company and the individual. Therefore, it is important to understand, trust and be comfortable with your colleagues. Out of the office social occasions help in breaking down some barriers and assist in getting to know the people you work with which in turn leads to healthier working relationships. It also helps in weeding out those who are not fully committed to the company. And I am not talking solely about alcohol incorporated social events.

Wabbit Ears

I love my work, Id absolutely hate to ever be in a situation where I was watching the clock for home time to escape the people and place I spend a good portion of my waking hours!!

AndonHandon

AndonHandon wrote: »

I would have an issue with someone who thought so rigidly about their work; the area I am in involves a massive degree of job satisfaction with the money being incidental. As a result of this, fellow employees are not just colleagues but are teammates. What is good for the team is good for the company and the individual. Therefore, it is important to understand, trust and be comfortable with your colleagues. Out of the office social occasions help in breaking down some barriers and assist in getting to know the people you work with which in turn leads to healthier working relationships. It also helps in weeding out those who are not fully committed to the company. And I am not talking solely about alcohol incorporated social events.

I agree with all the above and have been very much on the side of making friends with people you work with and attending work events.

The poster I replied to suggested that people are time driven, I took this as meaning their work day revolves around the clock and for many jobs this is the case and not something to have a problem with. Other jobs are task driven, i.e. you keep working until the job is done or you have a deadline to meet and once you meet he deadline nobody is bothered about what hours you work etc.

I very much fall into the second category btw, if I'm busy I work long hours and could be at work when a lot of people are getting into their beds but on the other hand a quiet times I can come in late, head off to do bits and pieces during the day if needs be, take an unofficial half day etc. In general I prefer a task driven role as it give you much more freedom though at times I would love to be able to be guaranteed to finish at 5:30 everyday and not feel like I should be still working.

swimming in a sea

AndonHandon wrote: »

I would have an issue with someone who thought so rigidly about their work; the area I am in involves a massive degree of job satisfaction with the money being incidental. As a result of this, fellow employees are not just colleagues but are teammates. What is good for the team is good for the company and the individual. Therefore, it is important to understand, trust and be comfortable with your colleagues. Out of the office social occasions help in breaking down some barriers and assist in getting to know the people you work with which in turn leads to healthier working relationships. It also helps in weeding out those who are not fully committed to the company. And I am not talking solely about alcohol incorporated social events.

And you get free food in Google...

Fat Christy

I love the office Christmas party. \o/

IrishAlice

UCDVet
I've known so many people who stay in a crappy job or deal with a crappy boss because they feel a personal attachment to some co-workers or some boss or the owner or the customers.

I myself was guilty of this in a previous job. Absolutely hated it there, used to cry every Monday morning on the way to work and on Friday I would dread the next week.

I'm not saying the friends I made are the reason I stayed but I do think had I not made any friends there I would have left a lot sooner.

In my current role, I get on well with the people on my team, we go for lunch everyday together and I go to the Christmas party each year.

Outside of that I have no interactions with anyone from work outside of working hours and the only social event I attend is the Christmas party.

Galwayguy35

I used to always go, free dinner and beer but we haven't had a party for a few years now, last year it was just a night in the pub and we had to pay for the drinks ourselves.

not yet

The good aul xmas knees up knickers off party whaa..

Wompa1

Yellowblackbird wrote: »

Can't argue with free healthy nutrition.
Beets are a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains. Betanin and vulgaxanthin are the two best-studied betalains from beets, and both have been shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support.

"Natures candy, don't ya know"

pauliebdub

I always go, it's looks good to senior management and helps networking and bonding with colleagues, though I often find it quite dull. At least in my last job there were a few characters, nowadays it's a 20 min conversation about mince pies.

The_Valeyard

I don't dread the office party,


I do dread work the following Monday,apologies, and meeting with HR :P

not yet

The_Valeyard wrote: »

I don't dread the office party,


I do dread work the following Monday,apologies, and meeting with HR :P

You wouldn't be the rapey type by any chance..?

6781

Bad enough spending 50 or so hours a week with some of the cnuts I work with, without taking having to spend more time with them. No thanks.

The_Valeyard

not yet wrote: »

You wouldn't be the rapey type by any chance..?

Ewwwwwww. No. I'm just very honest when drunk.