Year End Functions

[Devill]

I go to the year end lunch with the company I sit in house with and then I go to my employer's year end function when possible as we all get on very well in the company (we are about 25 people).

This year unfortunately I had a wedding on the day of the year end function.

Previous year end functions included:

Murder mystery night (food was awesome and the game was fun).
Shipwrecked (Come as you would have been when the ship sunk - had a lady come in a Bikini and a towel, a couple come in their PJs etc etc)
Just a normal sit down dinner with no theme and gifts being handed out (a bonus and something personal to accompany the $$$).

 

[Sonic2k]

Very interesting responses.
Speaking of "Team building" things.. I don't go to that either.
My motto is simple- I am there to earn a living, and to do work as per my contract. Anything else outside of that, they can go find friends for that. I am not their friend either, I just do the work.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

b
I just suppose its all due to the kind of people attending and their general behavour, also the budget involved

Like I said before its all up to the kind of people attending and how they normally behave on a weekend,
if the people usually are quiet on the weekends and enjoy a nice restaurant and quiet chats, no matter how big the group is it will go well,

but the opposite is true as well , its often interesting watching tame office people get into huge booze fests and generally make a fool of themselves, so like anything else in life you can never judge a book by its cover.

 

[Lucas Buck]

To be honest. Spending a 6+ hours in the company of the people you normally see for 8 hours a day in a social setting?
You have some guys talking shop, the one office worker who drinks too much and does something awkward...

Worst experience ever - I was doing software development and support for a call center, and was invited to their year end at the Valley of the Waves. A group of highly temeramental call centre operators and booze, away from the office....
Lets see - a spitting argument between two of the line managers (married), the painfully awkward attempts of the three 'moms' in the call center trying to patch them up. Watching the part-time male models try to chat up Sun City dancers tanning at one pool (Not done, those girls are something else), taking one drunk girl to have a broken arm splinted while the manager tried to sort out the angry mom who'se son she almost crushed on the slides. And to top it off -when we eventually decided to leave - everyone catching the one girl in a drunken threesome in the back of the bus (with a strange couple no less). On my seat...
Next year the manager didn't even ask me if I wanted to go.

All the rest are a mix of pleasant and awkward, but that was the low point.

Sounds like one of those awesome days where you sit back with a glass of your favorite beverage and laugh at what is happening around you.

 

[Shi]

SO is not one for these types of functions, so we tend to miss more than we go to. Both her co and mine, has a on off policy of taking partners. This year is no partners and my co is going on a boat trip. Our functions are usually tame and I enjoy going to them, but then again I usually don't stay too late at them.

 

[Compton_effect]

Sounds like one of those awesome days where you sit back with a glass of your favorite beverage and laugh at what is happening around you.

Thumbs up on that one. I had actually gone along to try and slip off and surprise a old friend who was working there. Her husband was lead accountant for The Lost City and had on previous visits arrange some comps for me. The plan had been to watch that tragicomedy from one of the terraces - while drinking some good (complimentary) beer. Unfortunately they were on leave, so I picked a deck chair instead and only intervened to help broken arm girl (cracked it only, luckily) - as I was the most sober person in the group.

 

[Ninja'd]

I will be skipping mine this year as we have travel down to PE because the whole region will be doing the weekend thing.

 

[syntax]

I go to year end functions, i dont drink much and stay until its been long enough that its not impolite to leave.

Occasionally, a few of us might go somewhere afterwards and party properly. But i dont like drinking too much in front of managers and all that.

 

[JungleBoy]

Very interesting responses.
Speaking of "Team building" things.. I don't go to that either.
My motto is simple- I am there to earn a living, and to do work as per my contract. Anything else outside of that, they can go find friends for that. I am not their friend either, I just do the work.

It's not that they want to make friends with you but to create that team spirit which aids in better understanding of different personalities that make up the team. Without meaningful communication, collaboration and interaction, objectives might be a bit harder to achieve, don't yo think?

 

[Skywalker786]

Geez some really bad experiences here.

I always go the year end functions and have always had a ball. Just hate it if there is a dress up theme. This year is cowboys and Indians

 

[Cius]

I always go and they are always really good. Still, I think my company is very different from the OP's. Ain't no line workers in Investment Banking.

This year's theme is the 80's. Drawing a blank on what to wear.

 

[aigle2am]

I still believe that even though you are out to have fun, people must not lose themselves completely. After all, these people have to work with you tomorrow and its rather demeaning to see your boss behave in manner not appropriate for his rank. Hence I do not stick around when I see alcohol around

 

[Ninja'd]

Just hate it if there is a dress up theme. This year is cowboys and Indians

So? Wear a open shirt with at least 3 gold chains and golden bracelets on each arm.

 

[BobsLawnService]

To be honest. Spending a 6+ hours in the company of the people you normally see for 8 hours a day in a social setting?
You have some guys talking shop, the one office worker who drinks too much and does something awkward...

Worst experience ever - I was doing software development and support for a call center, and was invited to their year end at the Valley of the Waves. A group of highly temeramental call centre operators and booze, away from the office....
Lets see - a spitting argument between two of the line managers (married), the painfully awkward attempts of the three 'moms' in the call center trying to patch them up. Watching the part-time male models try to chat up Sun City dancers tanning at one pool (Not done, those girls are something else), taking one drunk girl to have a broken arm splinted while the manager tried to sort out the angry mom who'se son she almost crushed on the slides. And to top it off -when we eventually decided to leave - everyone catching the one girl in a drunken threesome in the back of the bus (with a strange couple no less). On my seat...
Next year the manager didn't even ask me if I wanted to go.

All the rest are a mix of pleasant and awkward, but that was the low point. Not even handing out invitations to a Viennese Ball themed one, while dressed as a footman could compare. Security at AECI Explosives and the SABC only allowed me in with a security escort, and the girls at FedSure thought I was a strippergram.

I wish my year end functions were this AWESOME!

Seriously, you're complaining about this sort of entertainment?

The most excirting things that have happened at our functions is that some chick got wasted and started telling everyone how her kid was a bastard and fathered by a director in our company and some dude got too touchy-feely with our MD

 

[AstroTurf]

Had some crazy ones and some normal ones.

We have 2 every year, one is for salary staff, the other is for everyone.

Had the salary one last Friday, left work early, went to a restaurant, ordered what we want had a chat, then went home.

They used to be quite crazy but the employees that liked to turn it into a drink up are no longer working for the company so now it's just a free lunch

Last day of work we finish at around 12, the boss buys everyone a couple of drinks and a braai pack, we make some huge pots of pap & sauce then have a braai. Simple and not to much of a mess (although you always get the bunch that bring a half jack of whatever and get way overboard drunk).

 

[MickeyD]

Since the late 80s I've been to some epic functions and skipped some as well. It depends on who'll be present and the venue. I've skipped the last two years to avoid having to PK somebody!

 

[AstroTurf]

avoid having to PK somebody!

Few years back one of the employees invited a bunch of her friends.
They got into a fight with a bunch of other people, we all almost got kicked out and several were arrested.

 

[techead]

people always end up drinking way too much. the amount of control some people have, or lack rather, is quite alarming.

I usually attend year end functions, as I like to show that I am making an effort and appreciate the event they arrange. This year we are attending http://pigallerestaurants.co.za/

My employer is generous though. 5 big events a year, and another smaller gathering each month.

Looking forward to it

edit : nothing irritates me more than people bitching about year end functions, when they have never bothered to actually attend one. As with most things in life, dont look to other people/things to make it for you, its what YOU make of it.

 

[syntax]

I always go and they are always really good. Still, I think my company is very different from the OP's. Ain't no line workers in Investment Banking.

This year's theme is the 80's. Drawing a blank on what to wear.

Use this episode of friends to guide you

[video=youtube;A0-1vwCn-WM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0-1vwCn-WM[/video]

 

[Batista]

Every new company i join, the year end events always get more and more pathetic than the previous years one.
I notice that in CPT, ppl dont like to chill with their fellow workmates, even when there is free booze and platters of food, in JHB the complete opposite, or maybe its just the company i joined?(old farts hehe)

The people i work with end up becoming friends, team building is beneficial and fun but we havnt had one in 2 years, its rather frustating.We have like 1 day of 'fun' in this company and that is on Casual day where we dress up and parade around for 30 mins, but this year only 3 departments took part, 3 out of 8-10?
The year end function last year was dismal,consisted of a fast food trailer, some umbrella's and some booze, and profit last year was a cool 440 million Euro???