Company holiday luncheon fiasco

[Joanie Baloney]

AFTER the invitation went out to all employees to RSVP for the company holiday luncheon, this was sent out to SOME employees:

Hello all,

You have registered for the [end of the year luncheon] event. However, as support personnel, you are required to pay $38 cash at the door to attend.

If you would like to cancel your registration, please let me know ASAP.

Thank you.

I know how I feel about this. What are your thoughts??

-JB

[Roland99]

1. $38 for a luncheon? And singling out "support personnel"?

The Grinch can learn a thing or two from these Scrooges

[lark]

2. Fuck them!

The "support" read small wages, people have to pay but the "producers", read those who make big bucks, get to go for free?

Fuck them to hell and back, I wouldn't go.

[jberryhill]

3. You can have your fill of all the food you bring yourself!

$38? Not an even $40? Better make sure you have a ten, a five, and three ones in case they aren't making change.

Fuck that.

Organize something else with the support personnel.

[FakeNoose]

4. So your $38 pays for the executives who eat lunch for free

FFS! Skip the lunch and take the day off work.

[WillowTree]

5. Is "support personnel" another way of saying contract employees at this company?

If not, what does that term mean?

[Joanie Baloney]

8. It means

People not on salary - administrative personnel, IT support, security, accounting, etc.

-JB

[WillowTree]

12. That sucks more than I can describe. Shame on them.

[mcar]

13. The people who make lower wages have to pay?

[Renew Deal]

14. That's ridiculous

I have a feeling that they will be spending the savings on recruiters in 2019. I would hope that most employees would cancel.

[CrispyQ]

40. LOL.

I have a feeling that they will be spending the savings on recruiters in 2019.

I know I'd start looking for a new job. What a crappy message to send to any employee.

[smirkymonkey]

38. That is outrageous!

I can't believe they would have the nerve to do such a thing! Especially around the holidays! So the people who make the least amount of money have to pay for their lunch while the high-earners dine for free?

If that doesn't send a message! How is morale at this place, by the way?

[woodsprite]

45. I'd say screw 'em! Have your own "support personnel" party! n/t

[Sanity Claws]

6. The firm has no class

It sounds like support staff have to pay money in order to socialize with management or whatever the other group is. That is a great way to make support staff feel special. (I hope you get my sarcasm.)

If I were support staff, I'd immediately cancel. If I were a member of management, I'd go to my support staff and tell them that I'd be honored if she/he joined us and would be glad to pay the fee for her/his attendance. (I hope I don't have more than two support staff! This could get expensive.)

BTW, is this a law firm? I used to practice and my experience is that law firms draw this huge distinction between the attorneys and support staff. Maybe other professions are equally guilty of this.

[Joanie Baloney]

10. Not a law firm

Although that is common. It is a defense contractor.

-JB

[rsdsharp]

44. I've been practicing law for 31 years.

I learned very early on that the support staff can make or break you. Most of our staff has been here for 10 years or more, and are very good at their jobs. Beyond how tacky this is, if we did something like that we'd likely have a mass exodus, as most of our staff could get hired elsewhere in a heartbeat.

[SWBTATTReg]

55. I'm w/ you...tacky. And also good people and a match for the job are hard to find. nt

[lilactime]

7. I would cancel immediately.

[lunasun]

9. cancel and call in sick the holiday luncheon day

[Renew Deal]

11. You have terrible management and it's time to find a new job

The “support personnel” are the ones that shouldn’t pay anything.

Are these part time contract workers? Shouldn’t matter.

If these are people that work full time and you see daily, then I would skip the party and I think most employees should do that.

[Joanie Baloney]

21. Not contractors

Real, for real employees are being asked to pay for lunch.

-JB

[Ms. Toad]

15. I'd be tempted to skip the lunch

But not cancel, to make them pay for the meal.

[Bettie]

59. I would too

make them pay for it.

[Wounded Bear]

16. Is that real?

I mean did you verify that with HR or the head office or something?

That's cold, even for a Republican.

[Joanie Baloney]

23. Yes

It came from the official internal communications department which means it's sanctioned by HR.

-JB

[brooklynite]

17. I'm going to hazard a guess about the thinking here

You provide limited details about the company, but I'm guess that employees OF THE COMPANY (not necessarily just executives) are invited for free. Support personnel are employees of another company and while they work at your location, they're not seen as part of the group. For example, in my office, the organization's direct employees range from Junior to Executive, but there are outside firms we contract with for security, maintenance, etc. (nb - in our case this is irrelevant because everyone has to pay for the Holiday Party)

[Joanie Baloney]

24. Sorry I wasn't clear

These are NOT contractors. Full-time, permanent employees received this memo.

-JB

[Eliot Rosewater]

52. Good thing for defense contractors I am not in charge. I nationalize all of them overnight.

And yes, the profits going back to the workers would allow for a free lunch.

[MineralMan]

18. I'd cancel and spend the day freshening up my resume.

Then, I'd start looking for a job with a company that gave a shit about its employees.

[TheBlackAdder]

32. Perhaps plan a counter-party. Non-Support people pay $250.

[MineralMan]

34. That company is hopelessly screwed up.

I wouldn't bother. I'd just start my job search.

[Baitball Blogger]

19. Just awful.

Look for a new job.

[angrychair]

20. Fuck them

Develop a cough and be sick that day.

[dalton99a]

22. You are working for some very malignant people

Look for another job if you can.

[cbdo2007]

25. All "support personnel" should have lunch that day together somewhere else...

cheaper of course, but that will make the management mad and think everyone is conspiring against them.

[dlk]

26. Sounds Republican-The Workers Underwrite the Rich

This isn’t exactly the meaning of Christmas but is very telling as to the company’s culture-more vulture capitalism.

[smirkymonkey]

39. Sounds VERY Republican!

[marble falls]

27. How would I like to return my disinvitation? As a wick in a Molotov cocktail. Good thing my ...

parents brought me up right.

[liberalmuse]

28. This is disgusting.

But now I understand how revolutions happen. Every support personnel should call in sick that day. Maybe the self-described “upper echelon “ will realize they’re nothing without the backbone of the company there to prop them up.

[redwitch]

29. Horrible.

No way I would go.

[Hotler]

30. Probably another company that likes to say we are all family here.

And we want to be loyal to you and want you to be loyal to us. Been there and done that and hated every minute of my time the 'family".

[TheBlackAdder]

31. It helps keep the plebs out.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

33. Cancel and send a copy of the memo to your local media outlets! 🤬

[salin]

50. Bingo!

[Liberal In Texas]

35. Screw that. What a cheap company.

As awful as the management was where I worked, they never did anything as low as this.

Have yourself a nice lunch delivered to your work area during their luncheon. Maybe get together with other "support staff" peons and do your own holiday luncheon.

[Croney]

36. Let's say you went, and paid the $38.

What is the thinking here, by the people doing the inviting? Are you likely to get a raise or promotion for going? Probably not.

Can you steal $38 worth of utensils and food if you wear a big pocketed overcoat? Nah, too risky. Can you take blackmail pictures of the boss playing footsie with his secretary under the table? Only if you're a criminal yourself.

So, now that we've thought it through, you should just not go.

[matt819]

37. Somebody thought this was a good idea!??

This company will not be on the top ten list of companies to work for.

[LibDemAlways]

41. It sucks, but I think I get why.

Defense contracters have to account for every expense using a government "charge number." Chances are salaried employees' lunches are being covered out of some "overhead" fund, but there is no similar provision for non-employees. Thus, you are being asked to pay your own way. I'd say screw it and skip it.

[Joanie Baloney]

43. I think that is their stated reason

But, there is always an accounting bucket for "administrative functions" that could have covered this for the "support" people.

In any case...Bah Humbug!

-JB

[LibDemAlways]

58. Bah humbug, indeed!

I'm with you, but chances are the well is pretty dry. My husband works for a government contractor and there are frequent work stoppages when the money runs out of every pot, so they guard every penny. Never seems to affect those at the top, though.

I'm a substitute teacher and know all there is to know about being screwed over. We literally have to pay to get jobs -$5.99 a month to receive notifications of available work, are not paid for mandatory training (in violation of the law), and have to wait up to two months to get paid after a job. I need the flexibility of the part time work, but it comes at a big demoralizing cost!

[Joanie Baloney]

42. I am glad my feelings of disgust weren't misplaced

Thanks for all the support, guys!

-JB

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

46. My very last management team Christmas meal

I supported the entire management team and had been invited to attend for 10 years. The director decided that year that only management and no support personnel should attend. The party fell on the very day of my 12 year anniversary with the company, and I was retiring one week later. There were only two support people who were ever invited to this party and I was executive admin to the director.

When he told me, he told me he was told to get the cost of this dinner down. I went ballistic. He asked what I expected him to do and I said, well being that it is my last week, I would have expected the team to collect and pay for me out of their own fat pockets and stomped out.

[MurrayDelph]

47. Sounds like the last place I worked

(but that was a telecommunications company, with the branch I worked for in El Segundo, which shall remain nameless, but is about to affected by Brexit).

It was a toxic-enough environment that when I was laid off 8 years ago, and couldn't find another job, I decided that unemployment and early retirement was an improvement.

[Totally Tunsie]

48. Tacky and insulting.

[gratuitous]

49. Legree, Marley & Scrooge LLP, by any chance?

I would decline the invitation, with thanks.

[C_U_L8R]

51. Scrooge had more heart and class

I wouldn’t go.

Perhaps all the full-timers should buy the contract workers lunch and show the appreciation that their management clearly lacks.

[bronxiteforever]

53. They register you first then spring the cost.

So you have to unregister. That is creepy plus extremely poor etiquette on top of all the other complaints here.

[get the red out]

54. Sitting with assholes who would come up with that

Would require them to pay ME $38.

[sl8]

56. Are the other (salaried?) employees being charged nothing or are they charged a different amount?

[Joanie Baloney]

64. They attend for free.

I thought management should all cancel too in support of the support staff.

-JB

[Bettie]

57. That is ridiculous

seriously, WTF?

I'd just not show up (no cancellation) and organize a restaurant lunch with the other support personnel. If we're paying for our own lunch, may as well have fun for less than that per person.

This is extremely disrespectful and more than a little bit mean-spirited on the part of whoever approved this.

[MLAA]

60. My first thought was..

Why don’t the execs pick up the tab for the support staff out of their own pockets. How many support staff are there? And how many what you would call executives?

[Act_of_Reparation]

61. lol, fuck that.

Holiday parties are lame. Holiday parties with coworkers are lamer. Holiday parties with coworkers you must pay to attend are a nonstarter. Fuck that noise. Cancel the registration. Save your $38.00 and go tie one on after work with someone you actually enjoy being around.

[Luciferous]

62. Sounds like support personnel should tell them to fuck off and have their own damn party.

[Just a Weirdo]

63. Switch it. Luncheon for the support personnel

and have the upper management levels pay $100 (half of that goes to the support pool bonuses) to eat there.

[Vinca]

65. I'd cancel in a nanosecond. The company is taking cheap to a whole new level.