Office Holiday Parties

[Guest]

*** RANT ON ***

It's that most wonderful time of year again for holiday office parties.

My office is having a Bureau-wide party being organized by the Bureau Chief. :BK: He went to each person in the bureau and encouraged them to come and share in the holiday cheer. :true:

This afternoon I was admonished for attempting to coordinate a meeting for a high-profile project on the same day as the holiday office party. Moreover, I was told that if I was not taking leave on that day that my attendance at this party was compulsory.

So I guess I will be having milk and cookies

*** RANT OFF ***

Anyone else have office holiday events coming up? Good deal or bad?

JR

 

[McEngr]

*** RANT ON ***
It's that most wonderful time of year again for holiday office parties.

My office is having a Bureau-wide party being organized by the Bureau Chief.  :BK: He went to each person in the bureau and encouraged them to come and share in the holiday cheer.    :true:

This afternoon I was admonished for attempting to coordinate a meeting for a high-profile project on the same day as the holiday office party.  Moreover, I was told that if I was not taking leave on that day that my attendance at this party was compulsory.

So I guess I will be having milk and cookies 

*** RANT OFF ***

Anyone else have office holiday events coming up?  Good deal or bad?

JR

My job has an office party the last business day before Christmas Eve. We take a half day and then break for lunch where we are to wait for our Christmas bonus checks. From what I'm told, the owners take home 5 figures while the commoners get a few hundred bucks. I guess I should be thankful for what I get. :true:

 

[Road Guy]

It sounds like your office party is during work hours?

My current office we only have about 12 employees so its a small dinner at a nice restaurant. my previous work we had 200+ in the office, so my old xmas parties were a freaking blast, everyone got hammered, people did emberassing shit, it's one of the few things I miss about my old job...

 

[GTScott]

*** RANT ON ***
It's that most wonderful time of year again for holiday office parties.

My office is having a Bureau-wide party being organized by the Bureau Chief.  :BK: He went to each person in the bureau and encouraged them to come and share in the holiday cheer.    :true:

This afternoon I was admonished for attempting to coordinate a meeting for a high-profile project on the same day as the holiday office party.  Moreover, I was told that if I was not taking leave on that day that my attendance at this party was compulsory.

So I guess I will be having milk and cookies 

*** RANT OFF ***

Anyone else have office holiday events coming up?  Good deal or bad?

JR

My job has an office party the last business day before Christmas Eve. We take a half day and then break for lunch where we are to wait for our Christmas bonus checks. From what I'm told, the owners take home 5 figures while the commoners get a few hundred bucks. I guess I should be thankful for what I get. :true:

Our party details are still up in the air.

Be thankful for your Christmas bonus. We don't get them and yes, I work in the private sector.

 

[Road Guy]

"Bonus? How did you get a bonus, I cut out bonuses this year?"

"I know, thanks for telling us, this year I was counting on my bonus to be the same as last year, and instead I got a 1 year membership to the jelly of the month club"

"Thats pretty low mister, If I had a rubber hose I would beat you with it"

 

[MA_PE]

When I started here, the CHRISTMAS party used to be at a restaurant on Chritmas Eve and we got paid for the afternoon off. Some people (older guys) complained that they wanted a night time dinner affair where they could bring thier spouses.

So the company alternated styles each year.

Now we have grown and have an official HR department organizing the HOLIDAY party, excuse me, correction as I look at the announcement, it is an END-OF-THE YEAR party sem-formal affair at a function hall. Provided there is no other conflict with haliday bashes I usually go, but it's not one of the highlights of the season.

 

[DVINNY]

We are having a "chinese gift exchange" on the 22nd during work hours, but are having a dinner at one of the better restaurants on the evening of the 15th.

I used to get $1,500 for Christmas at my old job. I miss that because it would buy all the Christmas presents I'd have to buy.

 

[cement]

We are having a bring-your-own food party and the boss signed up for salad -before the list is distributed! So the highest paid person picks the cheapest item and looks for others to carry the weight. Nice. I think I will stay over at the meeting I have at HQ that morning. and what's a bonus? :dunno:

 

[3gorgesdam]

We are having a "chinese gift exchange" on the 22nd during work hours, but are having a dinner at one of the better restaurants on the evening of the 15th.
I used to get $1,500 for Christmas at my old job. I miss that because it would buy all the Christmas presents I'd have to buy.

Exchange Chinese gifts ....humm...sounds fun...wonder what you get...

Our Xmas Party is at a fancy resort. Company prepares gifts for every one, including spouse. Each gift can be stolen three times. The gifts were pretty cool. Last year. We got a picnic table with embrella and 4 chairs. It is foldable. Also got a porker set with shuffler and a gift card at a nice resturant by the lake. One last thing, an envelope with a check bigger than any of the number mentioned in this thread after joining the company for 8 months. Everyone got an envelope at the end of the party. Pretty generous. This year's party is on Saturday, this weekend. I am looking forward to it...Oh after the party officially ended at 10:00, each year some decided to hang out at the bar till early morning. He also picked up the tab.

:true:

 

[Dleg]

I miss the private sector sometimes... In all my previous jobs, we always had great raffle gifts and a total drunken blow-out at some fancy hotel or restaurant.

Now, working for a piss-ant "Commonwealth" government, we hardly ever have fun at our parties because we all have to pay, there are no gifts, and half the staff usually boycott the party because they are pissed off about something or someone at work. We had our party last week at a local bar, where the band was so loud you couldn't talk, and drinks were not included. But for some reason, everyone attended this time and it was reasonably fun. I ended up playing darts with the US EPA people who are here auditing us, and avoiding my racist (hates "white people") boss. Actually, he ended up amusing the staff pretty well, by getting all jealous over one of the younger and more good-looking staff members dancing with his wife. :ruh: It's been the talk all week.

 

[frazil]

3gorgesdam - I'm so jealous.

Our holiday party costs $5/person. That covers the (choice of 2) hamburger, hot dog or chicken you want, plus potato salad, regular salad, punch and a big sheet cake for dessert. The committee that puts this on cleans up the warehouse real nice and puts out long tables and chairs with paper table cloths and pointsettas on them. There's a raffle -- last time I won one of those 3D books (you look at it cross-eyed long enough and see a 3D picture) that was big in the early 90's. This year the party is at 11:30 next Wednesday. Everyone goes down, gets lunch, hangs out for the raffle and is back to work by 12:30. :true:

 

[3gorgesdam]

Another thing surprised me when I first started working here. One day in September, people asked me to go out to get meat. I was like what?? When I went out, there was a truck full of 2ftx2ftx3ft containers with lids on. Everyone took one container to their car. It is some 60 lbs meat. Later on I learned the company sponsor local 4H program. They bought two pigs and one cow at the fair and they were processed by a local meal shop. I only have a small refrig, so each year I give half to my boy's daycare teachers. There are 13 of them, each gets a package.

 

[cement]

We are having a "chinese gift exchange" on the 22nd during work hours, but are having a dinner at one of the better restaurants on the evening of the 15th.
I used to get $1,500 for Christmas at my old job.  I miss that because it would buy all the Christmas presents I'd have to buy.

Exchange Chinese gifts ....humm...sounds fun...wonder what you get...

Our Xmas Party is at a fancy resort. Company prepares gifts for every one, including spouse. Each gift can be stolen three times. The gifts were pretty cool. Last year. We got a picnic table with embrella and 4 chairs. It is foldable. Also got a porker set with shuffler and a gift card at a nice resturant by the lake. One last thing, an envelope with a check bigger than any of the number mentioned in this thread after joining the company for 8 months. Everyone got an envelope at the end of the party. Pretty generous. This year's party is on Saturday, this weekend. I am looking forward to it...Oh after the party officially ended at 10:00, each year some decided to hang out at the bar till early morning. He also picked up the tab.

:true:

3gorges -

what we call a Chinese gift exchange is where everyone brings a wrapped gift to the party and puts them in a community pile. At the end of the party, everyone takes a gift different from the one they brought. I'm not sure why we call it "Chinese". Maybe because there is bartering and deal making trading the gifts before they are opened like you would see at the local market.

 

[DVINNY]

That is how ours is. You can "steal" gifts twice from someone else, then your stuck with it.