Workplace Christmas parties: obligation to attend?

Jolie Tinkling Sterilization wrote: »

Where you work maybe, not everywhere has such an up their own arse culture to a bit of craic. I’ve had monster sessions with very senior people who are just as much up for the craic as anyone and that’s in different companies in high end tech and would know plenty of people working in different companies who have no issue with a big session and bit of craic at the Christmas party.

To be honest I don’t treat work nights out any different to a night out with the lads and not only has it not hindered me it has in fact helped my career as in a number of occasions on a big session where senior people have been involved I’ve got taking with them and on one occasion I ended up moving team to work for them and on many others it means I have their ear for sorting stuff out

You're playing the game. That's turbo deadly. Its well known that a large percentage of management couldn't run a bath never mind a department or a team of people. IMO management who reward staff based on their social networking as a contributing factor to their appraisal or career progression has no ethically and morally corrupt. lap up the attention

From my experience, any person that has this approach to going out, after a couple of drinks become insufferable and starts calling people dry sh*tes etc for not being on their "level" of craic. While being overbearing and hanging on your shoulders, or nearly knock you out with their swinging like a pendulum.

As stated, there is a difference between being out at a Xmas work function where colleagues are capable of going out, having a good time & a few drinks, and then there are those who approach it as a "Monster sessions", who become intolerant and obnoxious, that people do not want to be around. This kind of craic is suited to people up until their mid-late 20's when in a workplace but if people in their 30's or above go on like that at functions.....send the flood.

dundalkfc10 wrote: »

Im not going to mine tomorrow night, and the amusement i get when people ask why im not going and I respond by I couldnt be arsed, Im going for Pints with my mates is fantastic

Which phone kiosk have you booked?

The last party I went to was grand. Very casual, just a few drinks in a relaxed setting. I hate the whole formal meal thing followed by shyte music and people trying to drag you onto the floor. I've no interest in dancing.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

Whenever I’ve been out with friends and some of their work friends or my OH and his work friends, work has always come up without fail and at some point you’re left twiddling your thumbs. Whatever about one’s own work do, attending somebody else’s sounds like a chore. Who needs to drink that badly?

I've a blanket ban on work with my work mates. They all appreciate it because it's too easy to slip into work chat if you're not careful. So we just talk about other stuff.

I even apply that rule in the canteen in work. It's good to have a break from work and just chat about real stuff. It makes you find real things in common with colleagues you don't know well if you have to talk about other things.

But generally work chat is brutally boring. Even Interesting aspects of work should be kept out of nights out. But the worst thing, the fcuking pits, is someone complaining about their job. I spent the weekend with someone recently and we must have listened to her whinge about her job for hours over the weekend. It was relentless. And it's not exactly a 2 way conversation so it's very much about listening to them.

The tolerance level for that kind of shyte talk at the Christmas party, is zero.

Sometimes if your a none drinker its easier not to go. Sometime I go and some years I dont. In my last job I went one year formal black tie event free bar. Was getting on ok until I went to leave. Manager ask was I ok for a taxi and i said i was driving. Another person from the team turned around and said sure she might as well leave its not as if shes drinking.
That attitudes pisses me so. And the whole why arent your drinking spiel

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

You kind of have to. Its not a normal 'party' you still have to be professional.

Unfortunately, free drink, combined with people not used to drinking, leads to professionalism going out the window in many cases.

chrissb8 wrote: »

That's because when people get drunk they like others to be drunk around them. Not for any perceived "You're no craic" thing.

More so that they feel they're being judged and you have some fictional high ground over them.

That's what I feel anyway. If someone doesn't drink and comes to one of these parties or an event where people are guaranteed to get p****d, keeps a smile and a listening ear even when they've being told the same thing from the same person for the 4th time, with their arm drunkenly slung over their shoulder pulling them in closer so they can shout an inch away from their ear that night then fair play.

I applaud that patience, because if I know I'm not drinking at such an event I dodge it.

The thing is realising its time to leave, last year my husband said it was when some drunken fool in his forties start talking abou woman and boasting about how many women he had sleep with!