The Demise of the Office Party?

[Abbey Normal]

I think I am now one of those who could do without the office party. I'd rather go home early one day.

Partial Article:

NEW YORK (Reuters) -
It's office party time of year again, but the holiday shindigs just aren't what they used to be.

Gone are the nights of photocopying one's bare buttocks, groping interns and hauling home a gift bag full of goodies.

Instead, sensitized by sexual harassment cases, sobered by the dangers of drunk driving, solemn since September 11, 2001, saddened by Hurricane Katrina and set back by economic worries, companies are staging sedate affairs these days.

"In the mid-80's, when Wall Street was at its high, those parties were in their heyday," said Paul Siegel, an employment lawyer in Melville, New York. "It was a large frat party. Then it was all-out embarrassment the next day going back to work, having danced on the table wearing only a lampshade."

Indeed, a survey of Britons on a dating Web site showed two-thirds had kissed a colleague at a holiday office party and a third said they had sex with a boss at such a get-together.

Almost half reported having been so drunk they could not remember what they did.

Hoping to keep bad behavior at bay, an office party these days might easily be held in an art gallery, perhaps during the day, with libations limited to beer and wine, experts say. Even the food has gotten healthier and the portions smaller.

...
LEGAL LIABILITIES

Behind much of that conscience is the threat of legal liability, be it for employees driving home drunk or bosses harassing underlings, workplace experts say.

...

A study by executive search firm Battalia Winston International showed the number of companies throwing parties was down 8 percent from last year, the first drop since 2001.
...

Battalia also found a third of companies surveyed said their parties are more modest than they were five years ago. Chicago-based Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., an outplacement company, said its research found that roughly a fifth of companies holding office parties planned to spend more this year, but nearly as many planned to trim their party budgets.
...

A recent survey of workers in Canada showed employees perhaps did not want to party at all. Just 19 percent of respondents found company bashes enjoyable and 81 percent found them a chore.
...

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051209/od_nm/life_parties_dc

 

[Annie]

I think I am now one of those who could do without the office party. I'd rather go home early one day.

Partial Article:

NEW YORK (Reuters) -
It's office party time of year again, but the holiday shindigs just aren't what they used to be.

Gone are the nights of photocopying one's bare buttocks, groping interns and hauling home a gift bag full of goodies.

Instead, sensitized by sexual harassment cases, sobered by the dangers of drunk driving, solemn since September 11, 2001, saddened by Hurricane Katrina and set back by economic worries, companies are staging sedate affairs these days.

"In the mid-80's, when Wall Street was at its high, those parties were in their heyday," said Paul Siegel, an employment lawyer in Melville, New York. "It was a large frat party. Then it was all-out embarrassment the next day going back to work, having danced on the table wearing only a lampshade."

Indeed, a survey of Britons on a dating Web site showed two-thirds had kissed a colleague at a holiday office party and a third said they had sex with a boss at such a get-together.

Almost half reported having been so drunk they could not remember what they did.

Hoping to keep bad behavior at bay, an office party these days might easily be held in an art gallery, perhaps during the day, with libations limited to beer and wine, experts say. Even the food has gotten healthier and the portions smaller.

...
LEGAL LIABILITIES

Behind much of that conscience is the threat of legal liability, be it for employees driving home drunk or bosses harassing underlings, workplace experts say.

...

A study by executive search firm Battalia Winston International showed the number of companies throwing parties was down 8 percent from last year, the first drop since 2001.
...

Battalia also found a third of companies surveyed said their parties are more modest than they were five years ago. Chicago-based Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., an outplacement company, said its research found that roughly a fifth of companies holding office parties planned to spend more this year, but nearly as many planned to trim their party budgets.
...

A recent survey of workers in Canada showed employees perhaps did not want to party at all. Just 19 percent of respondents found company bashes enjoyable and 81 percent found them a chore.
...

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051209/od_nm/life_parties_dc

Interesting. We don't have an 'office party'. But, our pastor treats all the staff to a luncheon at the local country club. Today was the day. We of course, buy him a gift. This year we bought the nearly 70 year old a train set. :coffee3: He was thrilled, so good deal. We got out of school at 11, the luncheon started at 11:30. Left by 1, so pretty good deal. The food sucked, but I was out early so

6 of us went to Houlihan's afterwards for adult beverages and started counting the hours until the end of next week. Whoohoo, I'm off from the 16th-Jan 3. Oh yeah, there are some perks to teaching!

 

[fuzzykitten99]

I went last year to the state office-wide (all the offices in the state) party that was held at Windows on Minnesota, in IDS Tower, DT Murderapolis. It is a VERY nice place to have any type of gathering (esp a wedding, as I had a cousin get married there), elegant and all. But my co-workers didn't even acknowledge me or Tim, not even people in my direct work group. Examples: Tim and I were walking down the hallway, towards the dance area, and I saw someone I worked with in my office, who is in my workgroup. I said "Hey Lisa!". She looked at us and turned around and went the other way. Then NO ONE invited us to sit with them at their table during dinner-which was very yummy. Not one person I knew at all. Tim and I sat by ourselves, and ended up leaving at 9, when we only got there at 8. We ended up going and spending an evening dancing at a local club.

We had even tried to make casual conversation with people I knew, and they would chat for like 10 seconds, then excused themselves for stupid (IMO) reasons. Tim thought they were the rudest bunch he had ever met.

Yes, these are the kinds of clods I work with. Needless to say, I won't be attending the event this year, and if someone asks me why, I won't hesitate to tell them the full truth. No excuses or fibs, just straight out the people in the office are rude, clique-y, and are as much fun to hang out with as a leper.