Disappointed in junior staff

[Anonymous]

+2. We have an in-house quarterly mandatory meeting that is on our calendars at least 2 quarters in advance so everyone can make their plans. These meetings start at 10a and last until 1p. Organization pays for lunch. Our December meeting is a bit more festive (we have nicer food) but we do not call it a holiday party. I am at a large non-profit and we did away with after work holiday parties years ago. GenX started the pushback--no one wants to stay after work anymore. Everything should be planned during core office hours.

[Anonymous]

My brother had a bonus formula where even folks did not do stuff like this he just subtract that day off from bonus pool.

His area everyone average a 50 percent bonus. So if 1/2 showed up for holiday party that half in effect got two days pay. He reallocated bonus.

He told staff bonus is when you do a little extra. Do nothing that day does not count

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+2. We have an in-house quarterly mandatory meeting that is on our calendars at least 2 quarters in advance so everyone can make their plans. These meetings start at 10a and last until 1p. Organization pays for lunch. Our December meeting is a bit more festive (we have nicer food) but we do not call it a holiday party. I am at a large non-profit and we did away with after work holiday parties years ago. GenX started the pushback--no one wants to stay after work anymore. Everything should be planned during core office hours.

THANK YOU Gen X
And even these should not be so so mandatory (a bit of relaxation) in these days of sickness and plague.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your boss is kind of awful for picking a Friday for a holiday party. My office actually polled people to find out which day most people will come in.

And either call it mandatory or not, but don't do one thing and then retaliate later. It's incredibly petty.

It’s weird how the boss feigned being apologetic over an event they had 100% control over. Don’t want to host an event on a Friday when it’s inconvenient for others? Don’t! Problem solved.

+1 this jumped out to me too. Just sounds like an annoying place to work all around.

I say this as someone who is WFH and generally does try to go in for events.

[Anonymous]

My daughter went to her boyfriends Xmas party. It was mandatory on a Saturday night. Black tie only. He had a tux. My daughter went to rent the runway and had a designer black dress.

Was super fancy. They are both 22. They will come just make it mandatory. And to bring a date.

I recall from 1998 to 2006 my two companies had huge holiday parties and my wife attended it was expected. Was at Ritz Carlton. Was after work on a Thursday and my wife would take train into city to meet me. Company sent us home in a black town car.

My wife knew my CEOs wife and all the other wife’s. The dates of women same thing. Was really useful. My CEO knew all my kids names and my wife would butter up the C-level and my staff.

Make it nice and make it mandatory. My old boss would rather let you take a free day off after party. It made me look bad of a spouse would not attend. I had two staff whose spouse never attended and every year I get comments

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My company allows working from home 2 days per week and we have to be in the office for 3 days, however employees are allowed to choose their days. That said, it has been made pretty clear that when there are business needs to be in the office the expectation is that you are.

Last Friday our team had a catered holiday lunch in the office that was put on by the head of our group, my boss. She apologized in advance for the lunch being on a Friday since it’s a day most people typically work from home, but asked everyone to please plan accordingly to come in if at all possible and she will make it fun and worthwhile for all. She did not want to make it mandatory though. On my team of 10 people, the 3 most junior employees did not come in on Friday and they gave me a variety of “excuses” as to why they HAD to work from home.

Today, our entire division has a cocktail party in the office from 4-5:30pm and again the request was made for everyone to please come in so we can celebrate all together. Well, 2 of the 3 people who didn’t attend on Friday are working from home again today and not attending this celebration either. My boss made a comment about it this morning and said she won’t forget who isn’t coming in for these things.

I feel like these junior employees don’t “get” that you do everything in your power to show up for these very few in person events to show face and be part of the team. I don’t know what they “had” to do that couldn’t be moved - these events had been on the calendar for at least two months.

Do I bring this up in their year end reviews? Any advice on how to best communicate that it’s very much noticed when they are not there for these things and why it’s important? I mean, it seems obvious to me.

This cocktail party is in the office from 4-5:30? If it's going to be that lame, at least move it to core hours. Otherwise foot the bill for a real venue in the evening. That time is the worst for ppl with kids / childcare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My company allows working from home 2 days per week and we have to be in the office for 3 days, however employees are allowed to choose their days. That said, it has been made pretty clear that when there are business needs to be in the office the expectation is that you are.

Last Friday our team had a catered holiday lunch in the office that was put on by the head of our group, my boss. She apologized in advance for the lunch being on a Friday since it’s a day most people typically work from home, but asked everyone to please plan accordingly to come in if at all possible and she will make it fun and worthwhile for all. She did not want to make it mandatory though. On my team of 10 people, the 3 most junior employees did not come in on Friday and they gave me a variety of “excuses” as to why they HAD to work from home.

Today, our entire division has a cocktail party in the office from 4-5:30pm and again the request was made for everyone to please come in so we can celebrate all together. Well, 2 of the 3 people who didn’t attend on Friday are working from home again today and not attending this celebration either. My boss made a comment about it this morning and said she won’t forget who isn’t coming in for these things.

I feel like these junior employees don’t “get” that you do everything in your power to show up for these very few in person events to show face and be part of the team. I don’t know what they “had” to do that couldn’t be moved - these events had been on the calendar for at least two months.

Do I bring this up in their year end reviews? Any advice on how to best communicate that it’s very much noticed when they are not there for these things and why it’s important? I mean, it seems obvious to me.

So what's the business need for these fake parties? If that wasn't articulated, then people may have been under the impression that you meant it when they said they weren't mandatory. Because they aren't actually fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My brother had a bonus formula where even folks did not do stuff like this he just subtract that day off from bonus pool.

His area everyone average a 50 percent bonus. So if 1/2 showed up for holiday party that half in effect got two days pay. He reallocated bonus.

He told staff bonus is when you do a little extra. Do nothing that day does not count

Where I work bonuses are based on measurable output, but you do you

[Anonymous]

This was such an avoidable fail. Your boss failed to consider the needs of employees who: 1) have caregiving responsibilities; 2) have childcare responsibilities; 3) may have health issues that make exposure to illness right now particularly dangerous; and 4) don’t want to exposure themselves to RSV, cold, flu, or COVID right before the holidays.

And I love that you are trashing millennials, when you’re talking about Gen Z. I’m a 39 year old millennial with two kids and attended zillions of these face time events early in my career. Did it help get me promoted? Nope. Did me advocating for myself and having my manager doing the same get me promoted? sometimes.

Employees have gotten wise to the fact that we are disposable and that face time doesn’t get us raises or promotions, leaving the company and getting a new job does. People are prioritizing their health and family over your bosses mandatory holiday party and should not be shamed
For it since it wasn’t called mandatory. Your office sounds like a terrible place to work.

[Anonymous]

We don't drink alcohol in my religion, so I don't attend these events. They should be optional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Millennials won’t work a minute longer than they are being paid to work. They have a time clock mentality.

Can we cut it the the Millennial bashing already. Most Millennials are mid-career professionals in their 30s now, not junior employees.

I think some millennials are 42.

Maybe they have kids and lives or don't want to drink and drive. You and your boss need to plan better.

[Anonymous]

I hate holiday parties. So “mandatory” but I both don’t get paid for the part that overlaps with working hours AND have to pay a babysitter for the part that doesn’t. Especially this year where I have NO PTO left thanks to rsv/Covid/etc. I don’t want to have fun I just want to be allowed to do my job in peace.

[Anonymous]

Bunch of lazy ass people on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to make these things mandatory, stop pretending they're parties. Just call them what they are: meetings.

"[Big Boss] would like to get some face time with the team, so she's called a 12-2 check-in meeting on Friday. She'll be providing sandwiches and snacks, and there'll be opportunities to chat at the end. See you there."

If the boss insists on calling them parties or whatever, that's when you know that these events fulfill some kind of non-work need for her and you're all stuck being extras in her fantasy social life.

Honestly, the Boss is probably trying to do something that she genuinely thinks or at least hopes will be enjoyable for the staff. It’s on the manager in the middle to convey that this is actually onerous, and to suggest some reasonable alternatives — which might even be the same type of event at a different time or on a different day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter went to her boyfriends Xmas party. It was mandatory on a Saturday night. Black tie only. He had a tux. My daughter went to rent the runway and had a designer black dress.

Was super fancy. They are both 22. They will come just make it mandatory. And to bring a date.

I recall from 1998 to 2006 my two companies had huge holiday parties and my wife attended it was expected. Was at Ritz Carlton. Was after work on a Thursday and my wife would take train into city to meet me. Company sent us home in a black town car.

My wife knew my CEOs wife and all the other wife’s. The dates of women same thing. Was really useful. My CEO knew all my kids names and my wife would butter up the C-level and my staff.

Make it nice and make it mandatory. My old boss would rather let you take a free day off after party. It made me look bad of a spouse would not attend. I had two staff whose spouse never attended and every year I get comments

💯

Right. Only certain firms can do this though.

Op must work at a shit tier firm or org or sector where rightfully staff don’t care