Christmas parties and bonuses

[Doc Holliday]

So we had our employee Christmas party last week and we all received a "thank you" gift for our hard work. Just curious what others' employers did for their workers. I'll start first.

We had pizza to eat and we each got a $20 gift card to a local grocery store. I feel like I made out like a bandit this year.

 

[CD Boogie]

We had an on-site lunch with a wide variety of sliders! We were also each given $25 gift cards to places like iTunes, the Apple Store or iPic. Halfway through the lunch we were asked to start brainstorming an idea for a new work project...

We'll get a proper year-end bonus in February.

 

[Bronco77]

The company served a dinner that included turkey, roast beef and a few types of pasta. It was very good -- or so I heard. Because I work the latest shift in our department, the dinner had shut down by the time I arrived, so I got nothing and liked it. But it was nice that the company made the effort and that co-workers who come in a bit earlier got to have a good meal.

 

[SnarkShark]

Year-end review is tomorrow, which is when raises may or may not come. Fingers crossed.

 

[SFIND]

Meal, nothing else.

 

[playthrough]

I left my company a week before the department's Christmas party this year, which was at a local go-kart track. Free driving, free food at the adjacent restaurant. I left on good terms and was invited to attend, but to me it would have felt a little weird so I passed.

 

[cisforkoke]

They put out a second cookie tray today. Unless there is a third tomorrow, that might be as good as it gets.

 

[TexasVet]

I used to give cash bonuses every year to all full-timers and a gift card to the regular part-timers. It used to **** off our president and CFO. They told me I couldn't do it because of tax purposes or something like that. So instead of asking for permission every year, I simply asked for forgiveness every year. Then again, I was the buffer between the hard workers and the penny pinchers.

 

[Kayaugstin Kott]

We received a nice and plentiful meal, as well as a $25 gift card to a locally owned department store. I'm happy with it.

 

[HandsomeHarley]

Christmas "party" the same night as my family Christmas party. And because no kids, most the office didn't show up.

And $30 in "chamber bucks." Basically, the Chamber of Commerce gets free ads in exchange for what amounts to a $30 debit check to spend at (most) shops in town that are chamber members.

Not happy with it at all, especially considering I designed the whole ****in' newspaper and didn't even sniff a bonus.

 

[Spartan Squad]

We got a party thrown by the landlords who run the building we rent our office from. Coffee and pastries. Company owners announced a party last Friday that the company Christmas party is Thursday. When all of us already made plans to go out of town because we have a mandatory PTO day we were told to take Friday.

 

[Batman]

We had a potluck meal about a week before Thanksgiving (which is a longstanding company tradition that predates our current ownership).
For, I believe the third year in a row, we also got an actual Christmas bonus -- an extra week's pay -- that was handed out last week. We used to get that when we were family-owned and then it was discontinued when the financial situation went into the crapper in the early 2010s. Could've knocked me over with a feather when the corporate owners suddenly started handing them out again, but it was certainly welcome.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Meal, nothing else.

Damn. That's worse than ours. Sorry to hear it guy.

 

[Doc Holliday]

They put out a second cookie tray today. Unless there is a third tomorrow, that might be as good as it gets.

Yikes.

 

[I Should Coco]

Haven't had a company Christmas party since I worked in Michigan 15 years ago.

At my current shop, the company used to throw a party for the advertising department when they made their holiday-season revenue goal (yes, ONLY for advertising). That hasn't happened in at least five years.

Christmas bonus? That's pretty funny. Hey, be glad the doors are still open, buddy.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Christmas bonus? That's pretty funny. Hey, be glad the doors are still open, buddy.

Or so they want you to believe.

 

[da man]

I'm not in the newspaper business. You don't want to know.

 

[mpcincal]

We're going to have a little get-together Wednesday afternoon. No big meal, but a couple of desserts are promised, as well as any goodies someone wants to bring in, and then a white elephant gift giveaway (stuff donated by local businesses), so I'll go home with a little something.

I'm actually happy with no big meal (we had one before Thanksgiving), because as the person who always stays the latest, I'm the one who always has to make sure the perishable food left out gets into the fridge so it doesn't all spoil. I won't have to worry about that too much tomorrow.

As far as bonuses, I won't be getting one again as long as I work for this company (rhymes with 'Gee'), but I've been used to that for a while, so no big disappointment.

 

[Bronco77]

I'd be remiss not to mention that when I arrived at work today, there was an email with a heartwarming holiday video message from our CEO. He reminded us that even though we'll be facing "overwhelming financial challenges" in 2017, these are "exciting times" for our company. And oh by the way, happy holidays!

 

[cisforkoke]

Yikes.

No third tray yet, but they did arrange for some bottled water to be delivered so we can stay refreshed during today's labors.