Haven’t been to one for years… I mean, I liked my colleagues at the last place, mostly (and the bosses were sharp enough to realise they were hated, and so didn’t go) but I spent enough time with them at work. After work, I go and hang around with other people.

But I might go this year as the new crowd does contain a fair few amusing lunatics.

kimbers – Member

us poor public sector types have to fund our own xmas dos, see that why we deserve a final salary pension

I get a bigger contribution from the “company” now that I’m in the public sector than I ever got when I was in banking!

Never ever been to a works party as all the industries ive worked in, never had them, it just seems to be an office based culture,to get drunk with peeps youre working with every day, who you probably hate, or some you fancy, may give you a hug or kiss.

Why wait for christmas to tell your boss he is a prat.

Who pays for your freebie do – we do – the public

how do you work that one out then? IIRC (not that I’ve ever been to one) private sector “freebies” are paid for out of that private sector company’s profits.

Now unless you work for a private sector company that has a monopoly on what it sells, “we the public” have a choice as to whether we help swell that company’s profits.

Public sector freebies, however, are another matter entirely. Hunting season’s open on that one

We organise our own. We get invited to the general company one, but we really don’t want to be eating a crap meal in the bowels of an average hotel followed by overpriced crap drinks and shouting over a crap DJ. At these things, the highlight is seeing who gets pissed, over emotional and ends up sobbing in the corner.

Anyway, this year it’s proper pub, shots bar then over to Won Kei (for good cheap chinese food and surly service), then a karaoke bar and then who knows what!

Free Booze, Free food, no partners and pissed up single birds… What is not to like??

We are going to Edinburgh Castle this year.

Quite looking forward to it as the last time I was up around the castle was almost 30 years ago.

We have two. Dinner, a revue, speeches and dancing at The Chancery Court Hotel in Holborn – all free – which I never go to for lots of reasons (mainly because I get lairy when I’m pissed and shoot my mouth off), although it’s supposed to be good. A team lunch which the firm pays £15 a head towards which I will go to. Spoiled a bit this year by a one and a half hour time limit as we have a temporary manager in HR who is not full of christmas spirit.

Ours has so many rules enforced by HR there’s not really any point going (unless you like listening to aimless speeches from the bigwigs talking about company success forgetting most people in the room suffered a pay cut), becuase fun is basically a banned policy….

Looks like we employees amongst us have arranged an informal night out at a bogoff cocktail bar the week before though… might go to that.

john_drummer

Where do the profits come from? what the public pay ultimatly and if the money was not wasted on the xmas do then the price charged could be lower witht eh same profit.

I have never had a freebie from a public sector organisation nor do I know anyone who has

It really annoys me that people whinge about the public sector wasting maoney then to see private companies piss it away on freebies

When I worked for a local University, our Christmas do was a freebie. Public sector, no?

We have 2 each year one we get a say on date and location but pay to go and the other one in a decent restaurant with hot buffet music and free wine or draught beer/lager but only selected soft drinks which is a reason not to stay sober, partners are allowed but this year the wife is busy so I’m going on my own which is bound to lead to me getting drunk and making a fool of myself.

Ours is nice and behaved, at the Roman Baths / Pump Rooms in Bath. Black tie or Lounge Suits, decent menu and wine, comedian, a casino, and all the lovely folks I work with to chat to. £5

private companies piss it away on freebies

We’re not spending tax revenues, just a small part of the fruits of our own labour to celebrate the season with our friends from work.

Where do the profits come from?

stop trolling TJ. you know where profits come from

Quiet place in town, all paid for ourselves. Don’t wish to be a burden on the tax payer! 😉

Indeed I know where the profits come from – from the money paid by your customers and I bet the money spent on the pissup is written of against tax.

If you didn’t have the pissup you could reduce prices and still make the same profits.

You would be paying more tax so the general public lose twice – once in higher prices and once in lower tax revenue.

double standards.

Ours is great! Mainly ‘cos I work with a group of lovely, fab people …

Last year was ace – the entire county had come to a complete standstill due to a really heavy dump of snow. Ever other Xmas do in town was cancelled apart from ours – we just dug out ski’s, down clothing etc and made it in to the pub for a great evening of food, drinks, toasting in front of fires, snowball fights, and skiing down the snow-covered traffic free high street 🙂

oh, and always pay for it ourselves … which means no dress code or having to listen to boring senior managers!

Actually we don’t have a free pissup, and I don’t think I’ve ever worked for a manufacturing company that did – profits are far too valuable to be wasted on pissups. You want a pissup, you pay for it yourself

I worked for one software house and one VAR that had free pissups, but in those industries they really do seem to have a licence to print money.
I still didn’t go though

There is a party organised by one of our sales team, but you pay for it yourself if you choose to go. Apart from the fact that I’m not interested, the 30+ mile taxi ride home might be a tad expensive

If you didn’t have the pissup you could reduce prices and still make the same profits.

a drop in the ocean for most large volume companies. I doubt it would make a penny difference on the sales price

If you didn’t have the pissup you could reduce prices and still make the same profits.

You really are losing the plot TJ. Please – step away and stop trolling your nonsense on here. If I ran a business, I’d use some of the profits to look after my staff and I’d do it how I wanted.

I go because I like people-watching and seeing which of my colleagues is a 3 pint screamer. I didn’t go last year because it was in a hotel and I really object to hotel food. In a pub this year so I’ll go and the beer will be a decent price.

Avoided them at all costs in the past, but this year is my first at my new place and we’re off to Tamworth Snowdome.

Should be a laugh, I’m actually looking forward to it…

Did those of you that had free pissups declare than as taxable benefits? No? More defrauding the taxpayer.

We used to get £10 each as an “allowance” for a Xmas do. Mostly, we always decided to have some sort of night out together. Maybe I was always lucky in working for/with a good bunch?

My missus works for West Lothian Council and they basically have an office full of food and drink with everyone (i.e. most of the council) stopping work for most of the day to pop by to scoff and booze it up.

Our modest private sector party will be in Edinburgh. Half day off work, meal, plonk and beer, and a good natter with (mostly) good folk. Can’t complain about that. Directors stick their hands in their pockets for a few bevvies. We spend all year value engineering down prices for our public sector clients, so it’s nice to relax for a change 😉
A poor troll TJ.

fatmax – so how much does that cost – half day off work for everyone plus the cost of the do?

In your case the public sector is directly paying if all your income is from public sector clients.

Can you not see the double standards here?

TJ – we have a load of private clients too, so it ain’t all public cash.
Any public contracts that are won, are very much driven by a high price to quality ratio and open to all our competitors.
Any private company aims to make money, and if the bosses want to contribute to thanking their staff at a Christmas lunch then I can’t imagine anyone losing sleep over it.
The half day of leave for this is our own, from annual leave.
Is your middle name Ebeneezer? 😉

Can you not see the double standards?

do you declare it as a taxable benefit?

Ok if you are using leave not having time off for free the numbers are smaller but the principle still stands. The money for your Christmas do comes from somewhere and ultimately the taxpayer pays at least some of it because of decreased profits, increased costs and you don’t declare it as a taxable benefit so thats lost tax

Jeez…you can tell who isn’t going to a Christmas party this year.

Probably not been invited ‘cos he’s a miserable ****…

🙂

TJ, no I really don’t see your point. It seems a particularly joyless discussion you are trying to enter into here. It’ll drain me to discuss further, but have a good night. 😐

fairy snuff.

The point was that if public sector money is spent on freebies like Christmas parties people are up in arms but private sector can spend money on freebies and everyone thinks its Ok despite in the end at least a part of the cost is borne by the taxpayer.

TJ – we have a Xmas do out of work time.
We also have tea & coffee a available to us, maybe that should also be stamped out.

Do you not think that these simple things help to motivate workers and keep team morale up?; which will likely lead to increased productivity so actually making more of a profit that the company could be taxed on….

Public sector does not need these things to improve morale and motivate workers?

TandemJeremy – Member

I have never had a freebie from a public sector organisation nor do I know anyone who has

Yes you do.

Sorry, you seemed to put a question mark at the end of that statement

Lols @ grvity sucks. and therein is the double standard

😀

I don’t think a lot could be classed as NEED to be fair.

I don’t see any double standards. I wouldn’t have a problem with public sector workers being rewarded in a similar fashion. My partner is a nurse in the NHS, I think people like her deserve more rewards than most.

Used to enjoy them when I was in London, with some memorable ‘moments’ and great venues.

Somehow, a meal at Fat Buddha in Durham, followed by a drunken (all self-financed) stumble around Love Shack doesn’t hold quite the same attraction 🙁

I’m definately going to ours this year. It’s a piss up in a brewery so how could I say no?

We used to have individual departmental ones at lunchtime which was good because it meant a boozy afternoon. Now we have a big massive one in the evening. As they’re not paying overtime, I’m sure as hell not going.

Christmas Parties- I spend enough time with my collegues as it is. I’m planning to avoid them one the hometime bell goes.

I’ll slope off to a bothy that night with some mates I think.