They paid for a fair to midland Prime Rib dinner at a shity bar.

Companies I've worked for have mostly had lunch/dinner at someplace near the office. Sometimes some form of gift exchange.

Never had a pay your own way. type party.

Pay for drinks at the bar before or after the party maybe but not a full pay your own stuff.

Up until I started my current job no Christmas party, at best an extra 15 minutes or half hour to lunch time and potluck. What is this Christmas Bonus? Again, at best a small turkey.

Now, we have an employee luncheon between runs in the midday the last Friday before Christmas break, the boss smokes some brisket, porkbutt, chicken. Some other stuff is provided, the rest potluck.

No bonus of any type.

After work we usually have a bunch of co workers get together somewhere, but that's pay your own way.


ARman

My previous job, as an auto tech, was for a Meineke franchise. We had 7 employees at the last Christmas party. The owner invited all the employess and spouse to an Upper Class restaurant called The Gin Joint in downtown Tampa. We were told specifcally to order whatever food/drinks/dessert we wanted. The food was very good to excellent. I had one drink of single malt scotch, a rare 16oz bone in ribeye with peppercorn sauce and a vegateable that I don't remember. We all had a great time. I think the younger guys were trying to drink him into bankruptcy! I did notice that when I order the scotch John, the owner, tipped his beer in my direction and winked at me. I took that to mean he concurred in my drink of choice as he too enjoys a good scotch. I did notice a Japanese scotch for $100 per serving and was tempted. But my drink was 12 year old and cost $20 so I would have felt guilty and presumptuous ordering it. Between food and drinks he probably spent $2000+ for a bunch of wrench turning heathens.

Christmas bonuses were individual and mine that year was $300 American Express gift card.

The Year prior the "shop" went to Ivarone's Steak House and Italian Grill in Tampa. We also received a similar bonus.

I was kind of surprised at his generosity since most of my career as a Tech we neve had a Christmas party and I didn't expect such and expensive party from a small shop owner.

I was told that my Christmas bonus was my paycheck

Just had ours last weekend, and I went in with really low expectations for three reasons:

Last year, I ended up at the boring table. We had cocktails and Hors D’oeuvres on the patio and then went to a private room for dinner. I made the mistake of stopping at the restroom on the way from the patio to the private room, and the only seats left were at the zero laughs table.

I quit going to this year's restaurant 12 to 18 months ago because of 2 bad/mediocre meals in a row

The secretary spilled the beans that this year's restaurant was 33% less money per person than last year's restaurant

This year, the cocktails and Hors D’oeuvres were in the same private room as the dinner, and there was a zero percent chance I was going to the restroom before dinner. As a result, I wound up a great table and we laughed all night long. Additionally, the Hors D’oeuvres, soup, entree, sides, and dessert were all delicious. For example, we had 3 choices for entree and I ordered the steak and they delivered a perfectly medium-rare steak just like I ordered.

This is the 2nd time I've worked for this division in the Company. Ten years ago, all we got was a lunch catered by the cafeteria, a $30ish item with the Company logo on it, and told to take the rest of the day off. I much prefer what we're doing now.

No bonuses given, but that's our norm.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

I have been retired (a free man) for 13 years now, so don't know what my former employer does for Christmas parties. When I was working, my work group typically had a "spread", which is a pot-luck affair where everyone brings something, and the company provides tables and a place to eat, with a couple of hours to schmooze. There was no "employer-sponsored" party.

flashguy

We had our company Christmas party at a brewery! It started at noon and was supposed to last for 3 hours, then everyone could take the rest of the day off. Craft beers and as much delicious pizza & appetizers you could hold! I had fun!

15 Christmas parties at Harbor Wholesale Foods... 12% of my annual salary was a bonus.
Amazing dinner at an incredible venue.
Even more amazing prizes.
Great time for everyone.

New company. Good party.
Food was pretty good.
Being there a month at time of party, bonus was very generous.
Gifts was a weird gift exchange that was kind of seriously fucked up.
I plan to take the reigns for the next Christmas party.

quote:

Originally posted by Jman78:
Do you get a bonus ?

Does the company pay for the party ?

Yeah, we get a bonus.

Yeah, the company pays.

The type of party varies. I work for a retail chain. Most of the time with our store it's a gathering at a bar or pub. Sometimes it's a district-wide gathering with multiple stores represented. I went to one of those that was held in a nature museum after hours. A few of the people know each other across stores, but most of the time each independent store's personnel just hangs with each other and don't mingle much.

Now retired. When I worked I did not participate, not worth the effort. It was all minimal participation to placate the masses.

Nothing. No party.

Nothing. We used to be a great team of folks and fun Christmas. Now nothing, too risky and expensive.

We have a departmental Christmas party at a sports bar or craft beer place like Yard House and food is provided but we have to pay our own way for drinks.

Then we have a corporate Christmas Party at a big hotel in the area and it’s a really nice time; live music, food, open bar, dancing. Regrettably we could not make that one this year due to our child’s preschool Christmas program that night.

quote:

Originally posted by Jman78:
Do you get a bonus ?

Does the company pay for the party ?

In all my years of working the company always payed for some type of event, and usually a small bonus.

I am now selling mid to high end furniture, good size company, and the store Christmas party is at a local restaurant, and it is pay your own way.


I have never heard of a company doing this in almost 30 years of working, in a wide variety of sales environments.

Ours is at a double tree hotel, catered food and all.

They make us pay $20 a person to go (kids are free) and we are expected to go especially since I'm a supervisor. I've always been "busy" that weekend and unable to go.

What's this "bonus" of which you speak?

My company is employee owned, and with that, no one wants to spend more than is absolutely necessary, so this Friday, I'll be grilling steaks from the local grocer, we'll eat in our meeting hall, they'll have a drawing for mediocre gifts, and the president will say a few words about how great things will be in 2020. Might get a C note, might not.

I don't go. It's some sort of lunch pot luck, with maybe the office providing some entree. Not as big as the Thanksgiving lunch party, where more entrees are provided, most likely due to Thanksgiving being non-religious. Waste of time.

Years ago we used to have a company Christmas party. It would start around mid-afternoon in the big conference room downstairs. Food, drinks, actual Christmas decor. It would run until 7 or 8 in the evening, or until people got tired of pretending to have fun and started leaving in droves. Sometimes individual teams would go out for a nice lunch, sometimes on the boss' company credit card and sometimes not.

Then the company got bigger and became more "socially aware" and all that shit, and it became a "Holiday party". Pretty much the same thing except no mention of Christmas and no Christmas decor. Hannukah stuff, yeah. Christmas, no. I quit going at that point. This year? Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Zip.

Bonuses? Uh uh. Not in years. Like maybe twice in the 18+ years that I've been here.

A company I used to work for had a dinner party, mediocre food, no bonus, but open bar.

People took advantage of the open bar and got throwing-up drunk, so they stopped the unlimited open bar and just gave everybody two tickets for drinks.