Company parties

[raeoflyte]

Do you all go to your company shindigs? If so, is it because you'll enjoy it, or because you feel like you have to?

DH has a company party tonight, and even though he is unhappy with his job, unhappy with management, and not wanting to stay in the industry any longer than he has to, he still feels like he has to go to make nice with the doctors/partners, etc. I of course don't want to (but I will, and I'll put on a happy face).

I don't go to most of my company parties unless it's something I want to do (like last year they paid for a baseball game).

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

We went to my christmas party. I partly wanted to and I also felt it would be a good idea to meet some other people that work in the college. The year before I had just started working here and was too nervous, plus I was in my first trimester, morning sickness doesn't make for good company.

[Bluerobin]

Going to a management function is different than going for drinks to celebrate Spring, etc. If the company is sponsoring the event, it is a must go to event for anyone in management.

[Deleted]

I've worked for about 4 companies and only 1 of them had parties that were worth a d*mn. The typical party at the other 3 places were off-season (christmas party in Jan), in a crappy reception room, and cash bars. That's not the case all the time, but mostly they were just really low-budget.

One of hte companies I was with was great. Expensive dinner, all you can drink, etc. That company went out of business. haha.

[alabamagal]

When I worked for a company that had ~300 people at the site, they would have a Christmas party, cocktails, 2 free drinks, socializing, dancing, etc. I did not go.

Next company I worked for, ~75 people at the site, would have a dinner party at a nice club. I would go to that (I can't pass up free dinner!).

Current company is 25 people, had a outdoor barbecue at bosses house end of last summer, free food and drinks and very casual. I went to that. DH is always reluctant to go. He says we will go, eat, say hi and then beg out. Well he saw some people he knew, and 4 hours later we left!

Depends on the party, the food, atmosphere, etc. I like less formal.

[raeoflyte]

Jun 24, 2011 14:56:07 GMT -5 Bluerobin said:

Going to a management function is different than going for drinks to celebrate Spring, etc. If the company is sponsoring the event, it is a must go to event for anyone in management.

DH started out as a supervisor (although he gave it up), and he always wants to represent the overnight team and put a face to the team because it's easy to get into a pissing contest where the day shifts blames nights, etc. I'm sure that is some of it. I have become so disenchanted with his bosses and company that it is tough for me to put on a fake smile and act like everything is great.

Last year, he was thinking/hoping that it would be the last one we would go to as he hoped to have a new job by now.

[thyme4change]

Another example of people on this board hating people and social activites.

[Deleted]

And just as a comment about the typical parties that I've been to. It's actually kind of embarrassing to be honest with you. I wish they didn't even do anything. We had just hit a huge goal at the last company that I worked at so they decided to reward us with lunch and a comedy play at a local hotel.

I don't know...it's a nice gesture, but we had lunch at the reception place of the hotel. In the room next door, it was the retired teachers group or something. And then we waltzed into the 2:00PM comedy show. It's just very low-key and unexciting to me.

One of my companies did a team outing and we went to the movies. It was totally ridiculous. We went to this crappy movie theater with only like 3 movies. Somebody said "Let's go over there, they have Big Hollywood Blockbuster Movie". And our manager was like, "Uh. Well we have gift certificates to this movie theater here so we have to go here".

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I had fun, I had no idea that many people worked in my little corner of the college! Apparently there are some labs outside of the actual college in other buildings. It has benefited me because I "know" some people a lot better and it's easier to collaborate.

[raeoflyte]

Jun 24, 2011 15:07:17 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Another example of people on this board hating people and social activites.

Why do you think I'm here? ;D

[qofcc]

I go to company parties, I think it's expected and a good chance to talk to people you wouldn't normally have a chance to talk to. I wouldn't say I enjoy it, and I come late/leave early if possible, but I make the effort to network.

They used to do a family picnic thing at an amusement park and that's one that I just absolutely refuse to go to. I was going to go the first summer I worked here and it was 2 weeks before my wedding. I put us down for 2 adults and 4 dependent children. When I went to pick up the tickets, the girl in told me that since I wasn't officially married yet, my soon-to-be-stepchildren weren't my dependents and I would have to pay full price for them (something like $30 each instead of something like $3). I was so insulted I told them I wasn't going and I wasn't paying for the other tickets we had reserved. I was dropping off the paperwork to add them as dependents (in 2 weeks) to my healthcare for cripes sake.

I told my boss, but he didn't want to get involved and I didn't really want to go anyway.

[kgb18]

DH and I are both friends with a lot of people at our respective jobs outside of work, so we usually go. My company doesn't really have formal events. We usually organize our own, informal parties. But his company has a really nice Christmas party every year. We couldn't make it last year because DH actually had to work during the party and we were a little disappointed.

[raeoflyte]

At DH's last job we were friends with a lot of the techs and doctors outside of work. I still didn't like the corporate parties, but we had lots of get togethers at our house, at the bar, etc.

Before our company got so big, we would just have a bbq at the bosses house. I prefer lower key events, jeans, wine, good music. Getting dressed up and springing for a babysitter to spend time with people that I would never hang out with otherwise....not so much.

[tskeeter]

I don't enjoy the company shindigs. But depending on the size of the company and what role you are in, attendance can really be a part of your job. If you manage or supervise people, attendance at things like a holiday party are required. If you work for a small company, especially in any kind of a leadership role, attendance is required. If you don't give a rat's patootie whether or not anyone thinks you want to keep your job, be visibly missing from an event you are expected to attend.

[dancinmama]

When the company DH works for has a function, his presence is pretty much expected cuz he's in management, so we go even if we don't feel like it. Sometimes we have a great time, sometimes not.

[Tiny]

I think it depends on the 'shindig'.
I'm not really part of the 'social circle' at work - a boatload of people socialize with each other outside of work - play softball, volleyball, and 'drinks after work once a week'. I don't join them - even though I'm sometimes asked to. I generally decline invites to at home bbqs, etc from co-workers. I don't really socialize with them outside of work and since they are all very thick with each other I know I'd feel out of place. I'm glad they are courteous enough to invite me out occassionally and I always graciously thank them for the invite and I don't get an attitude the next working day when they are all joking about something that happened when I wasn't there... I'm happy they like to socialize together.
If the shindig is a company sponsered 'drinks after work' as a 'bonus' for having worked on a project - I generally will go, have a drink and some snacks, exhaust my ability at small talk and leave. I do my best to be socialable and nice. I'm a geek and have limited social skills which I am working on so I view these things as practice.
I do the same thing for bigger more general parties sponsered by the office.
The company sponsered parties are usually on weeknights so I'm not very inconvenienced.

[Tiny]

Jun 24, 2011 15:30:17 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Jun 24, 2011 15:07:17 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Another example of people on this board hating people and social activites.

Why do you think I'm here? ;D

Hmmm, an anonymous text driven forum - no eye contact required, no small talk, can come and go as you please, can review take time to formulate what you'll say to people who are vaguely interested in the Topic at hand.... I suspect there's alot of Socially Awkward people here and very few who hate people and social activities...
I'm very lacking in social skills... I find face to face encounters with lots of people exhausting (since I have to spend alot of time/effort self regulating and trying to decpher body language). I like people (they are interesting!) and I like social activities (they are fun!) But it's tiring.

[raeoflyte]

<------------------ Socially Awkward

Sums it up pretty well. ;D

[zibazinski]

DF is the boss. They do, in the summer, a bar b q every week at work and then, in December, (which I think is crazy because everyone is busy) they do a "Holiday" party at a nice restaurant with food and booze for the employees, spouses, and the retirees and their spouses. It's very nice except for the timing imho.

[Cookies Galore]

Hell yeah I go to work parties! Free food (and sometimes drinks)! Granted, my company is awesome and they do awesome things. My department's Christmas luncheon was at this great little restaurant and it was a surprise open bar. Surprise because I was on the planning committee and I had no idea the SVP finagled some numbers to make that happen. Yes, I did say planning committee. I actually helping to organize the work parties. ;D
Our company-wide summer party is at an amusement park this year. Admission is free for employed and only $15 for guests, a normal admission is over $50, so it's pretty fricking awesome to have two adults going for $25 ($15 for BF, $10 for parking, lunch will be provided by work).
I regularly go out for drinks after work with my work buddies.

The best work parties were in my restaurant days. I have a scar on my knee because of one of those parties!

[gobermitcheese]

I generally enjoy the christmas party my company throws. They close the store and we have a nice dinner at a hotel and they give away prizes which can be anything from a $10 gift card to a large TV. They usually have some form of entertainment too like a comedian or hypnotist. The company really goes all out once a year for an otherwise cheap company.

[midjd]

We have a Christmas (er, "Holiday") lunch, usually some gift cards and the boss says something nice. We also have inter-office pitch-ins for most of the management birthdays, baby showers, wedding showers, and other special occasions. Since it's during the work day, attendance is pretty much expected, but it's always fun. I like my coworkers.

Though the last time we had a pitch-in, I ended up with 2 gallons of fruit salad (that took me 2 hours to make ) on the floorboard of my car. Oh, there were tears. Car still smells like strawberries though!

[lynnerself]

Our Christmas party and summer Barbecue just got canceled on the advise of our brand spanking new Employee Advisory board. Who supposedly polled their fellow employees.
I just found out the reason they canceled these thing is that they would rather have the cash or a bigger bonus.
But nothing has guaranteed that.
Interesting that it isn't our doctor/employers that decided to cancel these things, they like doing them for us.
But greedy employees that think they might get more cash.

[Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ]

Our parent company has a huge Holiday party held in NYC, and I mean HUGE. In the summer, a day at Hershey Park.

I dont go to either because the place sucks the big one.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Nope.

[Cookies Galore]

Jun 24, 2011 19:26:00 GMT -5 Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ said:

Our parent company has a huge Holiday party held in NYC, and I mean HUGE. In the summer, a day at Hershey Park.

I dont go to either because the place sucks the big one.

That's a bit of a hike. Our party is at Hershey Park this summer and it's about an hour or so drive for us.

[Deleted]

My company has quietly cut back on Christmas-season activities but I just remembered that they have a family day at the local soccer stadium scheduled today. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm is just starting up. DH and I weren't planning to go anyway- we just don't get excited at team sports.

They seem to spend more on community activity that has a participation element- VERY big supporter of the local inter-company athletic competition (sponsorship fees went to the Special Olympics this year), sponsored a Spelling Bee team the last 10+ years (proceeds go to adult literacy) and we have a Community Day where everyone goes out to various spots in jeans and T-shirts and works. One year I cut weeds and brush from around fences at the Zoo and ended up with poison ivy but had a good time, anyway. The athletic competition has been a life-changer for me. I was always fit and active, but lousy at team sports with miserable high-school gym memories behind me. At 50, I signed up for the bike race, mile and half-mile runs, and taught myself to dive so I could do the 200m swim races. At 56 I took on the triathlon (1/3 mile swim, 9 miles bike, 3K walk/run). I've never been part of a winning team and they LOVE me because the competition is so thin in this age group I rack up points just for finishing. Couch potatoes have all kinds of volunteer opportunities- signing people up, timing races, handing out cups of water as the triathletes pass by. Better than company parties any day!

[telephus44]

I go. I work for a small family company (maybe 150 employees?) and it's free food and open bar for an hour. I usually end up talking with people outside my department, and that's always helped me out to have extra "connections."

[Formerly SK]

I love DH's company parties and we always have a blast. He has several really cool coworkers so there are always people to visit with.

Course, I'm a SAHM....pretty much anything that gets me out of the house and away from the kids is fabulous. ;D

[Deleted]

Our school has started trying to do faculty events a couple of times a year. On paper that sounds great, but the truth is that I hate having to give up my Saturday to participate in sack races and balloon tosses and stuff like that. They are very family-oriented, which is great but not very interesting for me at my age.

We do have a potluck luncheon at Christmas that is nice, and a PTA-sponsored luncheon at the end of the year. Those are enjoyable and easy to go to since they are on "company time."