Its my turn (with another manager) to organize our department's holiday festivities. We did our holiday party yesterday and we are having a bake off next week and the urging/insistence of several co-workers. I'm in charge of the bake off b/c the other manager wants to be in the contest; I think the whole thing's stupid, but whatever, people wanted to do it.
We set the date for the contest a month ago w/ the agreement and consent of the handful of people who initiated it (its next Monday). So, now - TODAY - one of the primary people says she's going to be off on the day of the contest and can we change it to accomodate her schedule? And, more annoyingly, she didn't come to me, she grabbed the other manager and asked her about it - when all of the discussions have been with me and I've done all the planning and organizing for this thing (not that its actually much work). I have recently had something come up on teh day of the contest, but it never occured to me to ask a bunch of other people to change their plans b/c I have a conflict now.
If you want me to be in charge of something stupid, then let me be in charge of it, if you don't then let somebody else do it.
Re: my office is such a PITA
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Why could they not coordinate the bake-off to be at the same time as the holiday party, kill two birds with one stone? Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't really have wanted to give myself any more "things" to do around the holidays, but again that's just me. I would never ask a group to re-schedule something like that just because of me.
Did you have to pay to go to your holiday party? Ours is $20 per "regular" person and SES's are expected to pay $60, craziness
No we had a $1000 budget which was plenty, but we still ended up doing a bunch of shopping and some cooking and set up ourselves, which is ridiculous IMO. This is a work Christmas party and I'm not interested in spending my little personal time prepping for a 90 minute party at my office, kwim? But, it is the highlight of other people's holiday season - so its always a werid dynamic adn after 6 years here, I'm still always like "huh?" when people go all out for it.
DH's party is a pay-for-yourself lunch at Applebee's tomorrow - but apparently they get to leave after lunch so everyone just orders an app.
I'm pretty surprised at the nerve to ask others to reschedule too. IDK, maybe I'm just weird. ...
I think a bake-off sounds fun, but I'm the food editor for the magazine, so it's obviously up my alley.
Paying for a holiday christmas party? No way would we attend if that were the case. The company Christmas party is supposed to be the boss' way of saying Thank you to their employees, isn't it? Ours is at our publisher's home and catered by a local company; my husband's hosts theirs at a restaurant and reserves a block of hotel rooms nearby for those who have a long drive.
We have budgets and paying to spend an evening with people I see every day would not be included in my budget.
~ Kelsey Jean ~
Cooking with Crouton: A Food Blog
Unfortunately, government budgets don't have money in them for Holiday Parties.
When I worked for a big bank in Baltimore there was a small cost associated w/ the big "adult prom" holiday party for the whole company, it was at the BMA and you took a bus from the office building to the BMA, you could bring a guest, etc. Obviously the party was subsidized by the bank, but for some reason they charged $10 per person to attend? I think there might have been liability reasons for it.
At the same firm our department had it's own holiday party at my boss's house, catered, w/ spouses, etc. It was paid for by the managing directors and didn't come out of any bank funds. Same with when I worked for Too Big to Fail in NYC- no bank wide party at all, but a nice heavy cocktail party for employees only (most wives lived out in the 'burbs anyways Mad Men style) that was paid for by the group head and a few other senior bankers by personal check.
I can't see this happening in the gov't for a multitude of reasons, but there are many instances of bosses totally footing the bill for the company/department, etc. party.