FWIW - I’ve been there. At my old office, I got along fine with everybody. BUT, after 5PM, that was my time and I didn’t necessarily want to see 3/4 of the people from my company again until 8AM the next day.
Now, however, I have a very close staff. There is only 6 of us and we’re almost like brothers. Sometimes all of us will go out to the bar after work and have a good time… I know they want to go the a Christmas party (which will be a small get-together at my house with our spouses). We all genuinely enjoy each others company. When we had our VP from our Head Office up last year, we stayed around after work one night and had a few beer. We were just shooting the shit, kicking back and relaxing. He said to me, “You know, we’d never do this back home.” I said “I know”
So, that being said:
Do you even intend on going to your office party if you are having one?
I’m a temp, so I don’t really have one for my company. My husband doesn’t go because THEY DON’T PAY THEM WHILE THEY’RE AT THE PARTY (cheap bastids). If the company I’m assigned to has something, I’ll go. But I love a party!
The place I work has a huge spread. Nice expensive dinner, free booze, dancing, presents for the kids, the whole works. Not a small event at all.
I’ll pass it up again. This place is where I work. I go in, I do my thing, they pay me, I go home. These aren’t my great friends. I like them well enough, but they’re not my friends. They get enough of my time already.
(For the record, I’m not very comfortable at big parties no matter who invites me or what the occasion is. But to me, “Office Party” is an oxymoron.)
I went to last year’s. Wife and I stood around for half-an-hour, ate free horsd’ov… houersedouerv… finger food and drank free wine (it was at a wine bar). Then my whole department surreptitiously slipped out the door and went to a nice restaurant. We each paid our own tabs, but it was worth it just to not have to stand around making strained attempts at small talk with drunk executives who can’t remember your name, even though you’ve worked there for a year.
This year, well, since a month after that party the company decided that I was worth less than half what they originally hired me at, I don’t think I’m going to bless them with my company at their party.
Ah, office parties . . . one of the perks of being self-employed is that you don’t have to go to them. Or you can have your own, which is a lot more fun. (I plan to have a roll in the hay with my assistant . . . to whom I am conveniently married.)
I remember the first Christmas party I attended at my first (and last) “real job.” I and another woman had been working there for about six months, and our boss pompously introduced us to his wife as “two new hires.” Dick.
I went the first two years I worked for my company. The second year, despite my attempts otherwise, I still ended up talking to the same people, having the same conversations as I do during the week. So I resolved not to go anymore. Especially since last years was just a potluck dinner (there are only 35 or so of us anyway) and we have a few of those during the year anyway.
Nope, have better things to do with my Saturday afternoons.
I’ve been to several in the past few years. I skipped last year’s party, and probably won’t go this year either.
The parties at the places I’ve worked at have been big formal dos - hotel ballroom with catered meal type stuff. Get dressed up, pay for parking, blahdeeblah.
That’s just not me. Now, if my department had its own get together at someone’s house, I’d be more inclined. Casual affairs (even with work people I’m sick & tired of seeing) are much more tolerable than donning monkey suits and schmoozing with the executives. Not to mention watching them dance. :eek:
Well, I work on campus (yes, I’m STILL in college) so our parties seem fun… but I’ve never gone to one. They always have a crawfish boil, and I’m so allergic to seafood that just being in the vacinity of the boil would stop my breathing. Oh well.
We also have tailgating parties before each home football game, but Saturday’s the only day I ever get to see my bf, so I typically pass on them as well. We’re all planning a trip to New Orleans for next semester, though. I think I’ll go to that - so long as someone else drives!
Not unless they pay me. I don’t come to work for fun, I come here cause I hafta, to gets me them thar paychecks. I do not feel obliged to go, either, since there are so many people in the office that no one would notice if I weren’t there.
Besides which, I’m not friends with anybody in my office; in fact I hardly know most of them. So it would be very awkward and uncomfortable if I DID go.
Since I’ll be leaving my job after Christmas, I’m going to my office’s party to chat up some of the many young women who I know are in this building somewhere, but I only see at lunch.
Plus, if I make a small fool of myself, I’ll only have 1 more week of work anyway.
When I was an estate agent, no. Theirs was always a formal black-tie dinner do, and I just know that everyone would have ended up talking shop all night long. Most of my co-workers were rather stuffy, whereas I like to let my hair down outside work. As far as they were concerned, the date clashed with an earlier invite I’d already accepted… really, I was sat at home in front of the TV with a few beers.
On the other hand, when I switched to retail, I went to every single event. My co-workers at the store were a much more rowdy bunch, and not attending would have meant missing out on some serious fun. The last party I attended (my leaving do) was hilarious, especially when we took turns drinking beer from the body cavities of an inflatable love-sheep. In the middle of a posh Italian restaurant
Although we stopped having parties a few years ago, I never went to 'em anyway. This is a small, family (Southern Baptist) owned company, and although they had a free bar, you couldn’t really feel free to “let loose”. We had one VP, the following workday, who would give an oral report of who showed up, and who didn’t, like you were in the shithouse for not going. Screw it, I’ve got better things to do.
My company conveniently holds their “Holiday Party” during working hours (it’s basically a lunch with music and some dancing afterwards). You get paid for the day whether or not you attend, but if you don’t go, you are expected to be at work.
It’s usually not too bad, and this year it will be a at a hotel that I’ve been wanting to visit.
Anyway, I have to go, because I’m the official photographer.
I’m so looking foward to my hospital’s Christmas party/dinner/dance. Even if my floor nurses can’t make it, there are 3000 employees and my husband and I paid our 30 bucks for steak dinners and floor space to dance, a real deal when we get to put on our party clothes and dance.
His office party is just free dinner and drinks at a nice restaurant for the 20 employees and SOs, although we went and played laser tag before dinner last year. Did he ever kick butt! Some of his co-workers gripe that they aren’t paid to socialize, but we always have a good time,** Drachillix** and I.
Veiled hints from my coworkers have intimated that there is some vague relationship between being seen at the party and the distribution of my yearly bonus.
It’s a pretty lavish affair. Fancy NY hotel, open bar, sumptuous meal. Apparently the way to do it is to go after work, hide at the bar, and shake the important peoples’ hands. Drink up, toss a few beers in the backpack, and “get lost in the shuffle” as people begin to take their seats for dinner.
An hour’s work, as much free booze as I can drink or steal, and a holiday bonus. Not too bad.
No guests or spouses are ever invited to my firm’s party.
I almost always go. Usually I like enough of the people I work with that I don’t mind socializing with some of them. Hell, if I didn’t make friends from work, I wouldn’t have many friends.
I like who I work with, but I’m not so into the office party scene. My company usually spends wads of cash for these upscale affairs. In fact, I am going to one tonight (11/22/02) to celebrate the company president leaving. Its at the 4 Seasons, which you may have heard of. Upscale hotel in center city Philadelphia, they spared no expense this time. I’ve heard its good to be seen at these thing, kinda makes the company execs happy which is always good for the career.
My current company has good parties. The workers do tend to talk shop, but we’re such a motley crew that some of the SOs are just happy being starstruck.
A couple years back one of the VPs who was three sheets to the wind cut in on my wife while we were lindy hopping. She being a LARGE woman who was taller than me, it made quite a sight
We also have about 4 people from around the building who get to spend a couple hours each month devoted to making our parties interesting. And handing out loot bags, and getting door prizes. This year’s big grab is a trip to Vegas.
