Tomorrow I have 3 hours of mandatory socializing

[highland145]

Just convinced the wife to CANCEL the dinner I was being forced to go to tomorrow night. WIN FOR ME.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

LOL, that reminds me, some lady (a party organizer) emailed a bunch of us a few weeks ago and asked us for our birth cities (or something like that), said it was for the party, and told us "You will not be disappointed by the surprise." It had "Stupid HR Trick" written all over it, so I opted not to reply.

OK guys, I just came from the party. Want to guess what the "big surprise" was?

Spoiler

They took the responses and plotted the cities on Google Maps and displayed them.

I was like: Are you kidding me?

 

[Modular]

OK guys, I just came from the party. Want to guess what the "big surprise" was?

Spoiler

They took the responses and plotted the cities on Google Maps and displayed them.

I was like: Are you kidding me?

LoL

I can just see how excited some tool was to come up with that idea in a meeting too.

Corporate America is so great!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

LoL

I can just see how excited some tool was to come up with that idea in a meeting too.

Corporate America is so great!

The only thing more ridiculous will be when it is my department's turn to host one of the holiday parties and I get assigned to do something. I better start thinking up excuses.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Meh, where I work we pretty much don't have any sort of holiday parties any more ....

I've always loved going out and shooting the shit with my friends from work. That said, most of my best friends are people that I've worked with over the years, and most of them still work for the same company as me, however, we are all in different departments and divisions often in different campuses.... meh

 

[Stuxnet]

Argh, I HATE "pitch-ins." I refuse to participate in them. At one company I worked at before, it seemed like every time someone sneezed, we had a "pitch-in." I was usually the guy who brought napkins, drinks, chips, cups, or gave money towards the meat, but it got to the point where I finally said "Look, I'm done with these things. I'm going out for lunch."

No kidding. If you're going to throw a party, throw a fucking party. Potlucks where employees have to spend their own money and free time the night before to make the party happen? Screw that.

 

[Dumac]

Drink all the eggnog

If there is any....

 

[Stuxnet]

OK guys, I just came from the party. Want to guess what the "big surprise" was?

Spoiler

They took the responses and plotted the cities on Google Maps and displayed them.

I was like: Are you kidding me?

And you know it took 2 or 3 HR reps several hours of company time to do that.

 

[ShawnD1]

And you know it took 2 or 3 HR reps several hours months of company time to do that.

fixed

 

[RKS]

We have ours next Wednesday at our office. The boss has ordered tons of alcohol and is roasting 6 pigs. It's during work hours but we can't 'hide' in our individual offices. It is usually a good networking opportunity since we invite all of the county/city court officials and judges but it's not a good time to drink too much.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

We have ours next Wednesday at our office. The boss has ordered tons of alcohol and is roasting 6 pigs. It's during work hours but we can't 'hide' in our individual offices.

I never understood the "forced" socialization aspect of many of these events. HR people can jog out little cliches like "We want to get you out of your comfort zone," but in reality, that's all they're really doing -- making you uncomfortable for an extended period of time. Some people (like me) aren't overly social and come to work to do a job and get paid. Sure, I make friends at work, but those are the guys I go to lunch with, have drinks with, or play games with at night. I'm not overly concerned with "networking" with the 55 year-old lady in payroll.

 

[JS80]

buddy of mine just won an iPad at his holiday party. fucker.

I won mine three years in a row (100-150 person company) at my last job. Nintendo Wii, $500 Southwest gift card, $500 Amex gift card.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I won mine three years in a row (100-150 person company) at my last job. Nintendo Wii, $500 Southwest gift card, $500 Amex gift card.

It seems like the same people always win at every company I've worked at. The only thing I have ever won in my 16 year career was a Palm Pilot back when they were the cool thing. I sold it to a guy for $200 and the following week, he had it on the floor at home and someone stepped on it and crushed it. :biggrin:

 

[PlasmaBomb]

I love Xmas work parties, but then I'm a nurse.

Which means there's lots of other nurses there.

Lots of drunken nurses.

:awe:

That beats an iPad... :thumbsup:

 

[bfdd]

talking to some people around the office there seems to be quite a few people who are deciding against going this year

 

[dwell]

I go, make sure I shake hands with the CEO, CIO, my boss and a few other key members then sneak out after 1/2 hour. Good to work at a company with > 2000 employees.

 

[bfdd]

our CEO is in another country and the last time/first time I met him we smoked a cig together.

 

[JS80]

Our Private Equity company made us take xmas party out of the budget lol assholes.

 

[IronWing]

We usually have a potluck. No company funds to be expended. I've missed most of the parties as clients come before parties. We tried the fancy booze fest once but it turns out we're all awkward geeks and are no good at that kind of party.

 

[sactoking]

Ha my buddy just told me about his holiday party (where I used to work):

They had it at the office
Employees were required to help set up and tear down
Sister company employees were invited, but didn't have to do any work to prepare
No agents were invited (so they couldn't network

Apparently every single underwriter in the company skipped it.

 

[Stuxnet]

Work comes before parties, too. What really grinds my gears about Christmas/Halloween/Tuesday parties is that a few of us ACTUALLY HAVE SOME GODDAMN WORK TO DO.

It's really irritating to get dragged away to a "party" that is totally void of fun and relaxation with a bunch of 20/30/40/50/60-somethings when you have some really pressing work that needs to get done.

I've only worked at 2 companies in my professional career (13 years and counting), but at both of them, 95% of the people around me spend most of their time fucking around. Talking on the phone with friends or family, chatting at someone else's desk, staring out the window in the break room, etc etc etc. They're useless, and they get all pissy with the 5 people who prop up the annual budget when they decide to remain at their desks and continue working when it's time for everyone to take the 2"x2" slice of cake at whatever company-sponsored circle-jerk is going on at the time.

Our economy would implode if these twits weren't employed, so I'm not saying they should be shown the door... but when I party, it's with my friends/kickassneighbors. When I'm at work, I'm there to do a job and to get paid. Like the MNF commercials stated so eloquently: I already have to spend 8 hours with people I normally wouldn't give 8 seconds to. Just let me do my job.

If I wanted to have cake with you, you wouldn't have to extract me from my cubicle with the jaws of life.

Forced socialization sucks. I have plenty of friends right around me at home, and we all actually have shit in common and enjoy each other's company. I know HR thinks it provides some sort of morale boost, but those of us with actual social lives outside of work don't feel like we need to make a last ditch effort to forge a relationship with something other than our cat(s). If there's someone at work I like and have a good time with, they'll get an invite to my next poker game, euchre tourney or ski trip. Everyone else at work: leave me alone. It's nothing personal, we're just not at all alike and we have shit to talk about. I sure as heck don't feel like making small talk with you for 3 hours. Especially when I have work to do.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Work comes before parties, too. What really grinds my gears about Christmas/Halloween/Tuesday parties is that a few of us ACTUALLY HAVE SOME GODDAMN WORK TO DO.

It's really irritating to get dragged away to a "party" that is totally void of fun and relaxation with a bunch of 20/30/40/50/60-somethings when you have some really pressing work that needs to get done.

I've only worked at 2 companies in my professional career (13 years and counting), but at both of them, 95% of the people around me spend most of their time fucking around. Talking on the phone with friends or family, chatting at someone else's desk, staring out the window in the break room, etc etc etc. They're useless, and they get all pissy with the 5 people who prop up the annual budget when they decide to remain at their desks and continue working when it's time for everyone to take the 2"x2" slice of cake at whatever company-sponsored circle-jerk is going on at the time.

Our economy would implode if these twits weren't employed, so I'm not saying they should be shown the door... but when I party, it's with my friends/kickassneighbors. When I'm at work, I'm there to do a job and to get paid. Like the MNF commercials stated so eloquently: I already have to spend 8 hours with people I normally wouldn't give 8 seconds to. Just let me do my job.

If I wanted to have cake with you, you wouldn't have to extract me from my cubicle with the jaws of life.

Forced socialization sucks. I have plenty of friends right around me at home, and we all actually have shit in common and enjoy each other's company. I know HR thinks it provides some sort of morale boost, but those of us with actual social lives outside of work don't feel like we need to make a last ditch effort to forge a relationship with something other than our cat(s). If there's someone at work I like and have a good time with, they'll get an invite to my next poker game, euchre tourney or ski trip. Everyone else at work: leave me alone. It's nothing personal, we're just not at all alike and we have shit to talk about. I sure as heck don't feel like making small talk with you for 3 hours. Especially when I have work to do.

AMEN.

 

[rcpratt]

Our 3rd floor potluck was canceled due to a storm, thank god.

Instead we ordered Chinese since we have training this week. Victory.

 

[SolMiester]

Do a line off of the handicapped toilet tank, it'll make any party better.

haha, that reminds me of London pubs half way through the night....the amount left over on top of the cistern was down right wasteful!

 

[MrX8503]

You'll get farther in life if you socialize. If you don't like it then pretend. You'll thank me later.