Employee Holiday Parties

[princesspumpkin]

Does your job have holiday parties for the employees? If so, is it free, or do you have to pay? If you have to pay, how much is it per person and what does that include? My job is planning one that's $57pp, buffet dinner, cash bar, not including parking cost or tip for 3 hours. Thanks.

 

[LJC1861]

We have a "staff appreciation" party each year in early December. We do not call it a holiday party out of respect for those employees who do not celebrate any of the holidays. We do not have to pay, but if we would like to bring a guest we pay for them. Our party is usually a themed event with prizes for the best silly costume. This year the theme is "Heros and Villains" We are treated to a cocktail hour with open bar, buffet dinner and dessert with an elaborate Viennese table. All in all it is a fantastic, not to be missed affair and one usually talked about for days after.

Linda

 

[Molly Meow]

Don't know if they're doing it again this year, probably not, but my DH's Wal-Mart had one last year.

Cost was $40 or $45 per person, can't remember which, for a party w/no alcohol and a small dinner.

The clincher was that you had to let them know if you were going to attend and how many, and PAY 1 1/2 months in advance. You weren't allowed to request that day off, and the schedule for that day wouldn't come out for another 3 weeks. If you got scheduled so you couldn't make it, you didn't get your money back.

Needless to say, we didn't go.

 

[Mskanga]

My dh's company has one every year , they have it catered in the same place every year , they bring a DJ , have an open bar and don't make anyone pay and invite all the family ( spouses and children ). They even bring a Santa that gives a present to the kids. We all have a blast.

 

[monkeyboy]

Party is free, but you must pay for your Xerox's

 

[CamColt]

DH's company does a party at a hotel each year. The party itself(dinner & dancing witha dj) is free, with open bar during cocktail hour. After that it turns into a cash bar. They have cash raffles.

 

[Kallison]

Yes we have to pay, usually anywhere from $15 to $50. I avoid them like the plague.

 

[oogieboogie]

We usually have a Thanksgiving lunch where everyone brings something. I usually do the turkey, while other people do the stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc.

For christmas we usually have a nice christmas dinner, employees only and the department picks up the tab. The company doesn't do anything, each department/region does their own thing.

 

[BabyTigger99]

Nope. Working in the County government, we have NOTHING!!!!

 

[scarlett873]

my boss holds our holiday party in his home. he does most of the cooking himself too! he's got one of those great big houses with the long winding driveway...it's beautiful! he'll prepare tons and tons of food...appetizers, main course, desserts...usually has a wide variety of alcoholic beverages available. it's always an adult party, no children. our company is pretty small, but we have 2 offices...3 hours away from each other! so the bad thing is that since the boss lives 3 hours away and we're the smaller office (only 8 total), we have to drive up there for the party. but he puts us up in a nice bed and breakfast type place near his home...AND pays us for a tank of gas to get there! so all in all, our party is free!

 

[tkyes]

Well in the past ours has been on folding tables, during lunch, in our warehouse. It's cafeteria style turkey with fixings. They are very conscious to make sure we are done in our 1 hour lunch time frame.

This year we are actually having it at a golf course near work, on a weekend, with spouses invited. Should be fun to meet everyone's spouses and see everyone dressed nicely!

Oh, no cost. The dinner this year will have a cash bar though.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

We have a catered holiday luncheon, employees only. We used to do a bigger holiday open house for our employees, tenants, contractors and certain members of the community. I like it better this way.

 

[mrsltg]

We have a dinner at a private room in a hotel. There is no cost to the employee, though we do have a secret santa and you bring a gift for that. It's really a great evening and the food, wine, and champagne are all fabulous!

Erin

 

[jeleebeene]

We usually have Holiday parties each year, at no cost to the employees. Now, if there is a bar, they will usually have it open for an hour or so, and then you have to pay for any drinks you want (other than softdrinks and such). Not sure about this year, though - the party is in a couple of weeks, so we shall see.

 

[Jeafl]

For many years, my husband's company had a semi-formal dinner dance at a nice hotel. Threre were about 50 office workers and about 75 factory workers plus spouses. There was always a sit down dinner, open bar and DJ. The company paid for it entirely.

Well, they've stopped having it because of a few bad people. At least 20 people would say they were coming and not show up, so they company was paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars for no-shows. A small group of factory workers would come late, skip dinner and drink themselves into oblivion. One of the staff accountants got drunk and started doing a striptease! If DH wouldn't have stopped her who knows how much clothing would have come off! The last year they had it a group of workers drove home drunk and ran into a stoplight post. Thank God nobody was killed. The company then discontinued the party altogether.

Now, they have a catered luncheon for employees only.

 

[tkd lisa]

We usually have a pot luck/pitch in style activity for Thanksgiving, which is free and held during work hours. We also a Christmas party at a local hotel or club. That party is at cost (in other words, if the place charges $25 per person, then we pay $25 per person). Our coffee fund usually puts some money toward door prizes at the Christmas party, and provides drinks (sodas) for the Thanksgiving dinner.

 

[Chicago526]

Our party is free, except for alcohol. We used to have it at a fancy hotel on a Saturday night and could bring a guest. Now we have it at a fancy hotel on a weekday afternoon and cannot bring a guest. It was more fun when we could bring someone.

But the food is good, and our company has a great prize raffle. The grand prize is $1000 cash.

 

[Maleficent13]

No party, no nothin'. My company is not very employee friendly. The money is all that keeps me here.

I do, however, usually have a little party for my employees. We do a secret santa with a price limit and just sorta wile away the afternoon.

 

[Soccer Princess]

We have a holiday party at a hotel. There is a three course meal plus dessert. You get two alcoholic drinks for free, but must pay for the rest. There are some awesome door prizes (Cash, TVs, Computers...). They also have a very popular local oldies band play after dinnner. We are allowed to bring one guest. The company pays for the party.

 

[chrissyk]

My DH's work usually has a really nice holiday party, at no cost to the employees. Here is what drives me NUTS, though. They always have the party in like mid-January. I don't know if they get a discount on the place where they hold it then or something. I'm sorry, but the holidays are over by then...who wants to go to a holiday party when it's practically Valentines Day? A lot of people don't go because of this. Even DH hasn't wanted to go for the past couple of years. Too bad, because they throw a nice party.