Potluck as holiday party

[Anonymous]

I'm a fed and I like holiday potlucks. Managers normally chip in $20-50 and the food is good. I get why people think they're cheap, but I still like getting together with colleagues informally. Ours are really well attended. Ours specifically say that you do not need to bring a dish to attend.

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised these still happen. Boomers still in charge? I am in the nonprofit sector and genx got rid of this in my first workplace. Haven't experienced it since.

[Anonymous]

Post the pandemic our CEO decided to not renew holiday parties and instead he would make a large, personal contribution to a charity that a lot of people at the company were involved in. The last workday before Christmas he’d spend half a day roaming the halls wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and tell everyone to head home at 2pm. No one misses the holiday party but he’s retired and we really miss him.

[Anonymous]

I am fine with an office holiday party or lunch and I'm even fine with a buffet type setting but why do I have to go out and buy ingredients after work and then go home and make something and then transport the thing and set it up at work?..... And that's called my holiday party? I'd rather just pack my own lunch and we all sit in the office together and chat for an hour.
If you don't want to spring for food, even sandwiches or a Costco pizza, then you don't really want a holiday party.

[Anonymous]

Business owners and managers reading this thread get the message: no one wants a potluck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:100 bucks from a non profit is asking a lot

You've clearly never worked for a non-profit.

They waste money on so much stupid sh!t and then have to send out emails on how it was a struggle year for the org, so no bonuses.

My final straw was the year when they announced that everyone would get a flat raise of 0.05% in January of the coming new year. Yes, not even 1%. And being in finance, I was privy to the fact that the c-suites were given huge bonuses that holiday season AND big raises (10-12%) for the upcoming new year.

I've had similar experiences at two nonprofits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah and I'm sorry but I don't know what these people's kitchen looks like..... I'm not eating food. I have no idea where it has been....
Potlucks are horrible in general at offices but as a holiday party?

Agree! Just give people an afternoon off. Potlucks are cheap and dreadful AF!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love our holiday potluck. The food is fantastic, much better than takeout pizza.

That’s because them cat hairs and poop remnants from the cats jumping up on the counter when your coworkers cook and bring their made at home dishes add extra flavor!!!!

[Anonymous]

Fed agency. Normally we have cheese platters and other simple catered snacks plus wine, beer, and soda. But we’d have to buy a ticket for $10 to cover the cost. This year it was “free” but nothing was provided to eat. Everyone was asked to bring a favorite holiday dessert or cookies, with instructions that no other food items were welcome. I skipped it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fed agency. Normally we have cheese platters and other simple catered snacks plus wine, beer, and soda. But we’d have to buy a ticket for $10 to cover the cost. This year it was “free” but nothing was provided to eat. Everyone was asked to bring a favorite holiday dessert or cookies, with instructions that no other food items were welcome. I skipped it.

Good call. Sounds like bullshit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope, potlucks can fck right off. I'm not going to spend extra time and money for my employer.

The birds are calling your name...Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
Its for your fellow employees btw.

[Anonymous]

I'm a fed. My office orders pizza and salad. They also buy drinks including alcohol. I had to pay $25 to attend. I don't drink so for $25 I got 2 slices of pizza, a small serving of salad and 2 cans of seltzer. I wish they just gave us the afternoon off.

[Anonymous]

I don't do potluck food. I'll bring something and make a plate, but you won't see me eat any of it.

I've seen too many nasty looking homes and kitchens on social media to trust anyone I work with.

Also, when our office was being renovated from burst waterpipe damage, I was moved to an office near the bathrooms. SO many coworkers don't wash their hands after using it. And yes, I know this because all day long I heard flush, flush, flush sounds but very few sounds of the faucets turning on or the blowers turning on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:100 bucks from a non profit is asking a lot

You've clearly never worked for a non-profit.

They waste money on so much stupid sh!t and then have to send out emails on how it was a struggle year for the org, so no bonuses.

My final straw was the year when they announced that everyone would get a flat raise of 0.05% in January of the coming new year. Yes, not even 1%. And being in finance, I was privy to the fact that the c-suites were given huge bonuses that holiday season AND big raises (10-12%) for the upcoming new year.

Was it Cornerstones (formerly Reston Interfaith) you worked for? They do this yearly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah and I'm sorry but I don't know what these people's kitchen looks like..... I'm not eating food. I have no idea where it has been....
Potlucks are horrible in general at offices but as a holiday party?

+1. We have people in our office who refuse to eat potluck food because they think it's unsanitary to have food at work that was not prepared in a commercial kitchen. (Years ago, we tried potlucks, but a few people refused, and so we go out to a group lunch.)

Could some just bring in a few platters from Wegman's and expense those?

(BTW, when my DH was in the federal government, he was GS employee but was serving as an acting at an agency. The office secretaries let him know that this acting person traditionally buys all of the food for the holiday party. So my DH did that, but I felt kind of annoyed that he had to pay $500 for party food for the office. It's not like he was some highly-paid person to whom $500 meant nothing.)