Are you having a work Christmas party? Share your stories (good, bad or indifferent)

cripplefight · 13-12-2018 1:12pm #1

I used to work for Ring-gard when i was 18, they made roller shutters aand security door,
the first year i was there they had a massive party in the grand hotel in malahide, all the staff and their partners went.
one of the van drivers wives got twisted by 10pm and when the band had finished and the DJ came she was already arguing with people on her table.
she eventually started turning on people on other tables and despite pleas from her husband to calm down she just got more aggravated. she started on another young lad who worked with me in the factory, she was accusing him of laughing at her. eventually he had enough and got up hoping to loose her on the dance floor. she followed him up and in front of the whole factory planted a wild haymaker on the back of his head while shouting and roaring at him.
her husband decided that enough was enough and went over and lifted her off the dance floor and tried to walk her out so she started raining digs down on him, he eventually bundled her out the door and that was the last we ever saw of her.
after that the company stopped inviting staff members partners to Christmas parties.

13-12-2018 1:14pm

Deebles McBeebles · 13-12-2018 1:17pm

Jesus. My worst was not remembering the end of the night and still being drunk in work the next day. Your woman sounds like great craic though.

corner of hells · 13-12-2018 1:42pm

Ring gard ? We're they next door to hole masters ?

zl1whqvjs75cdy · 13-12-2018 1:45pm

Had it last week. Was ****e. Manager got too drunk and awkward chats ensued. I was sober as a judge as I don't like letting loose at work events. Too much gossip and you'll never be let forget the slightest mis step.

Boom_Bap · 13-12-2018 1:51pm

I've mine on Saturday, I imagine I will be like this

The Tetrarch · 13-12-2018 2:09pm

We had a mid-day meal at a local restaurant on break-up day.
Service was slow and a few of us popped over to the pub for a pint.
Back at the table and service was still slow.
One of the guys went around the other tables (other companies) checking on their meals, decided we were behind them in courses, was shouting at the other diners, went into the kitchens, and started a row about not getting his dinner.

He had previous.
At another function with free drink, a lot of free drink, he went into the snooker room beside the bar. The next time we saw him he was crashing out through the snooker room swing doors and into the corridor wall. I think he upset the snooker players.

cripplefight · 13-12-2018 2:14pm

Deebles McBeebles wrote: »

Jesus. My worst was not remembering the end of the night and still being drunk in work the next day. Your woman sounds like great craic though.

from what i'd been told it wasnt the first party she'd made a tit of herself at, but that it was her worst episode.

seamus · 13-12-2018 2:22pm

Large corporate I used to work for used to hold massive company-wide parties, booking out proper venues to accommodate 1,500 staff.

One year a junior employee (who "happened" to be the son of a top exec) got into a fight and stabbed another junior with a broken glass.

That was the end of the enormous parties, after that it was left up to each department to arrange their own.

Don't really remember anything crazy, but then I seem to be completely blind at these things. I always hear the next week about the married people who hooked up, or the guy who puked on the boss's shoes, I never actually see it happening.

Since the kids came along I've lost all stamina for them anyway. You start drinking at 5pm, dinner doesn't come out till 8:30, so I'm pissed and getting the bus home half asleep by 10:30.

Feisar · 13-12-2018 2:28pm

A company we worked along side on a project had a lad sacked due to groping a collegue.

Imagine landing home to the wife the week before XMas to tell her you were sacked for sexual assault. Idiot.

BrokenArrows · 13-12-2018 3:11pm

Our company stopping doing them when times were tough, and have not started them again even though it going well.

They were usually massive pissups of free booze.

One of the HR girls pissed herself on the dance floor one year.

Sugarlumps · 13-12-2018 3:14pm

BrokenArrows wrote: »

One of the HR girls pissed herself on the dance floor one year.

Orinoco Flow on the turn tables?

valoren · 13-12-2018 3:16pm

I always love the HR email sent in advance.

As you are aware, the office Christmas parties and various other festivities will be held over the coming weeks. This is a time for us to celebrate the festive season by enjoying some social time together and we want everyone to feel welcome. Please remember however, that these are work functions and an appropriate standard of conduct is expected. With this in mind, it is timely that we remind everyone that Food and drinks will be provided at the Christmas parties, including alcoholic beverages. If you choose to drink alcohol, please ensure that you drink responsibly.

Translation: Don't be a clown and get so pissed that you fcking vomit all over the dance floor and decide you would actually like to sleep in the hotel corridor.

Tell me how · 13-12-2018 3:40pm

Originally, I think they were intended to thank employees and provide an enjoyable experience but over the last few years, I think the following is the way people actually feel about them.

15%: Never go. Same again.
5%: Say they will definitely go this year. But don't.
5%: B*tch about the company non-stop and expect them alone to create the goodwill atmosphere
20%: Will go just because they always have but really neither love it or hate it.
30%: Will go without great expectations but will buy in to the spirit of the occasion
10%: Love them. Christmas jumpers, secret santa gifts, mistletoe, the whole shebang
5%: In vino veritas. Hate the job or their colleague or can't control their consumption and usually do something they should regret
10%: Hold their breath hoping that they are not going to be discussing anything with a HR rep next week.

Think companies hands are tied in many respects. They know the majority of people would be happier with a €50 voucher but they might look on as being tight if they don't provide a party.

Tell me how · 13-12-2018 3:43pm

Owner at one company I worked at struggled with small talk with employees. At Christmas parties he was usually well out of his comfort zone. But he did everything, moved between tables, got on to the dance floor, stayed till the very end.
He really worked hard to do his bit even though it largely was difficult for him and not something he would choose to do unless he felt he had to .

I respected him for doing his bit to create a good vibe when many would sit with a surly face on saying the dinner was terrible.

mammajamma · 13-12-2018 3:47pm

Boss got fooked into a woodchipper in the office last year. Red faces the next day, let me tell you!

seamus · 13-12-2018 3:57pm

Tell me how wrote: »

They know the majority of people would be happier with a €50 voucher but they might look on as being tight if they don't provide a party.

Ah, I don't know about that. I think most people appreciate being able to relax and chat "off the record" with colleagues. And being Xmas, you have an excuse for drinking any day of the week.

Does depend on the company though. If you have the kind of company where someone calls for "after-work beers" and people will still go, then you'll have a bit of craic at the Xmas party.
If it's the kind of company where nobody goes out together from one end of the year to the next, then it's going to be a fairly flat affair.

Cantona's Collars · 13-12-2018 4:30pm

My place stopped big parties before I started there. Seemingly there was a massive fight and that was that.
Since then each department have their own small do. The problem is that the cliques in each dept. stick together and some won't go because a certain person is going. We didn't even have anything last year because of this.
This year is the first big party so it could be interesting.....watch this space.

ednwireland · 13-12-2018 4:32pm

i was at one where our uk sales manager had the md up against the wall by his throat - we went bust 2 months later

silvervixen84 · 13-12-2018 6:03pm

We're a massive company so individual departments do their own thing - our party is next week.

A few departments had their parties last night, and someone clearly slept on the couch in our department for a few hours, and left his waistcoat behind. He was also asleep in the canteen this morning, as he came back later to get his waistcoat and the lad from our department who spotted him asleep in the canteen confirmed it.

Hope he had a good night! :pac:

TheDavester · 13-12-2018 6:09pm

They played twist. I did the twist.

They played jump. I jumped.

They played come on Eileen. I then got brought up to HR the following Monday Morning

Pyr0 · 13-12-2018 6:21pm

This is the kinda thread i come into AH for

No mad story myself but last years Christmas party was good craic.

We have a fairly small office so we were given a budget of 800 euro or so and told to go wild but just produce receipts for it afterwards. To make it easier on us and the accounts team we landed into a pub for some grub and opened a tab, we checked it periodically throughout the night to see how much we had left to spend. After a few hours some heads started to drop off and it became a real struggle so i rocked up to the bar blitzed and checked on the tab, there was about 60 euro left on it. I had a look around and everyone was equally smashed and nursing 2 drinks each, feeling generous i told them to close the tab and keep the remaining 60 odd euro as a tip.

This time around we've been given less money to entertain more staff, i'm sure we'll manage :pac:

eviltwin · 13-12-2018 6:28pm

Had mine last week. Really enjoyed it but it was very muted. I would socialise regularly with my colleagues and we are a bunch that like to party hard but when management is in the same room it makes sense to not get too messy. We have the 40th of a staff member on Saturday night and there will be some shenanigans at that.

RayCun · 13-12-2018 6:48pm

I was at one party (white collar, computer software, back in the boom when we were getting pay rises all the time) where a guy was caught in the cloakroom, stealing from the coats and handbags of his coworkers. Fired a couple of weeks before Christmas.

ginandtonicsky · 13-12-2018 6:58pm

Missed this year’s one because I was not arsed with it. New guy passed out in the toilets, taken home in an ambulance, rocked up to work an hour early the next day out of pure fear & sent home to sleep it off. Last year a manager got sacked for sexual harassment, year before there was blatant sexual activity at the bar between boss and his PA. they’re never boring anyway!

Deathbytaxes · 13-12-2018 7:23pm

Where I work they have a staff lunch the day we close and drinks after in town, I work in a hotel that happens to close for 8 days at Christmas and everyone bar the night staff get the full 8 days off. I will be working the night off the party and won’t be attending the lunch. The management give spot prizes at the lunch that they are given for nothing by companies.

setanta1000 · 13-12-2018 8:09pm

Previous company I worked for in the UK; I wasn't there so got an email from CEO the next day explaining how one of my staff had a few too many, had called the Police accusing the hotel of stealing his coat (he had lost his cloakroom ticket), Police arrived, he insisted on trying to "press charges" and only avoided arrest when one of the other Directors man handled him away!

.....biggest surprise was he didn't get fired!

.....I was told I had to be in attendance in future if my staff were going on the rip!

Good times......

TerrorFirmer · 13-12-2018 8:47pm

ednwireland wrote: »

i was at one where our uk sales manager had the md up against the wall by his throat - we went bust 2 months later

Years ago I was at a work christmas party and a guy I worked with - who I had always got on well with - drunkenly attacked me and tried to choke me accusing me of breaking...... his phone charger.

Fondest memory was being at a work party where an incredibly drunken colleague tried to pull off the bosses toupee....sort of a "ah sure we all know come on now, come off with it" moment.

Amazingly he survived a few more months before getting sacked.

MadYaker · 13-12-2018 9:20pm

There's only 15 of us were going for a nice dinner which is paid for and then drinks in a pub which aren't, it'll be grand they're a nice bunch. I go for pints with 3 or 4 of them all the time anyway. I don't understand people who get messy at work xmas parties. I like to get messy but I've every other night of the year to do that so at work parties I keep it between the lines. It's usually the older people in their 40s that end up in a hoop. They have kids etc and probably don't get out much so their old livers can't handle a session and after 3 or 4 drinks they're talking sh!te already while the rest of us are only getting started.

Pauliedragon · 14-12-2018 12:35pm

A girl I knew years ago got plastered. Missed work the next morning. Slept with a married guy (she was engaged herself). Gets sacked for missing work, wrecks a marriage, her own engagement over. Few months later finds out she is pregnant from one night stand and the guy wants nothing to do with so abortion it ended up.

Bigbagofcans · 14-12-2018 12:39pm

Pauliedragon wrote: »

A girl I knew years ago got plastered. Missed work the next morning. Slept with a married guy (she was engaged herself). Gets sacked for missing work, wrecks a marriage, her own engagement over. Few months later finds out she is pregnant from one night stand and the guy wants nothing to do with so abortion it ended up.

That is grim.

Are you having a work Christmas party? Share your stories (good, bad or indifferent)

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