Tis the season, to be a SCROOGE!

[NikkiLinkle]

It's that time of year as we all know. Most people who work, are going do holidays, depending on what industry you're in of course. My work shuts down, it used to be 3 weeks, but this year they've stiffed us, so it's only 2 weeks now. That's not bad, I know. But I'm lazy and I like to have 3 weeks off. Oh well.

NOW to what this is really about. Most places of business give their employees a gift or have a work party, to celebrate Christmas and the end of a working year. I assume that MOST businesses do this. But mine does not! Selfish jerks.

I've been here for nearly 5 years. In that time we've always had a BBQ on the last day of work. In the first year here, we had a social club and got a ham and a bottle of alcohol, which we basically paid for ourselves because we paid $6 a month to be in the social club AND we had fundraisers and stuff. Then the financial crisis happened and our social club was taken away. We live in Australia! I don't think it was THAT bad here. And we funded our social club ourselves!!! Now I am hamless and to top it off this marvelous year, I'm now BBQless aswell. It'd cost like $200 or less to buy some bread and sausages, maybe some butter and sauce and cheese, for 20 people, who've worked hard all year. I think it is selfish and just stupid that this jerk of a CEO, who drives a Lexus and I'm pretty sure he has a very nice pay packet of 3 figures and probably lives a very indulgent life, can't provide his employees a f*cking BBQ! Why the hell is there a BBQ area outside, if you never LET us have a one? I only got a day and 3 hours of this s*it. Guess I'll just have to have my own BBQ at home. Cheers.

What does your work give you for Christmas? Or are they scrooges like my work and give you nothing at all?

[Mystyrion]

We got a 15$ gift card to a local grocery store.
We get one day off, Christmas day. Bread (i work in a bakery (wonderbread)) ends on the Eve and we start up the day after.
I would love to have your 2 weeks off.

[Michael Swayne]

I have worked at the paper for five years now, but this will be my sixth Christmas with them. Here's what I got from work for Christmas:

2006: $5 (this is not a typo) cash, and my choice of a ham or turkey. I had only been working there for three months at the time. I wasn't expecting much.

2007: $10 cash, and a big tin full of three-flavor popcorn.

2008: $10 cash.

2009: Card. And a ham.

2010: Card. And a ham.

2011: I will find out Thursday when I get paid.

My thing is, we don't get paid that much throughout the year. So, a little extra money near Christmas is definitely needed and appreciated. I actually liked getting the ham as a gift, because it meant that my family didn't have to go out and buy one. This year, I am living on my own. There is no way that I will ever eat a 20-pound ham by myself. I can't do anything with it because it will either go bad in the fridge or get freezerburn. This year, I want money. Not in a gift card, because there isn't a big fancy store near where I live. I want cash.

What gets my blood boiling is despite them cutting back (staff, salary, everything) they are still going all out to give some family a big Christmas dinner. I am not saying that they shouldn't (I am not that much of a scrooge), I like that the company is helping others. I just don't think it should be at the deprivation (for lack of a better term) of the employees. You know, the ones that actually work for you.

I had something else to write, but I am not going to write it here. If you want to know what it was, ask me privately.

[Maridia]

My work used to give them. I think it was like an extra 100 or so. Which was cool. Then they got real cheap and I didn't get one last year. I'm only waiting to see my jelly of the month letter roll around on the 24th.

[Mystyrion]

Oh, i forgot to mention i got a card too.

[OceanEyes28]

Uh holy shit I would love two weeks off.

I work Mon-Fri so since this year Christmas falls on a Sunday.... no days off. Just my normal weekend. I'm taking an unpaid day off on the following Monday to see family, but that's only because someone can cover my shift.

We had a holiday party... but it was where we work, so that was a bit awkward. I would rather have a few days off.

[loaf]

No company that I worked for has done something nice for it's employee's on Christmas like that. Maybe a Christmas party...

My first job was family owned, so lol.
My second job was Best Buy. They had other things that you got rewarded for.
My third job and current is the school district, don't make me laugh...
and my fourth job and other current is Dominos. They gave me a 25 dollar check cause I helped clean the store for an Audit, that it, nothing for Christmas.

[Alpha]

I work Mon-Fri so since this year Christmas falls on a Sunday.... no days off. Just my normal weekend.

You don't get deferred public holidays in the States? Here, if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday becomes a holiday. Because Boxing Day is also a public holiday, Tuesday the 27th becomes 'Christmas Day Holiday'. Otherwise it'd be the Monday.

I work two jobs (literally before and after lunch at two different places, for a total of 40 hours per week), and have been getting double the Christmas parties. Last week, with Christmas parties and staff leaving/starting, every single day of the week there was a morning tea and/or lunch and/or party. Different people organised them. Firstly it was my 'floor' (so staff from a variety of things who just happen to get off the lift at the same point) morning tea; then the Board held a morning tea; then we had a three-course lunch at a Belgian restaurant (thank you, RagnaToad, the Belgians know how to eat); then a graduation party (my second job is at a university); then a department morning tea. On Monday, there was a general staff morning tea, and yesterday (the last day for the year) we had an afternoon party.

The three course meal at the Belgian restaurant was the best. My boss paid for everything (there are 8 people at my first job), including multiple foreign beers (at like +$15 per glass; I had Hoegaarden, Chimay and Duvel). It stretched out for three hours, which made me late for my other job -- but that was OK, because (and it's a complete coincidence) my two bosses are married.

Pretty much the moral of the story is to get two jobs and hence double the parties.

[Lily]

The place I worked at for 6 years we got an open bar at the Xmas do and that was it. No bonus and no time off other than the bank holidays. So stop your moaning. Though, I was more than happy plying myself with free booze I must admit

Where Im at now, I got £100 quid bonus last year coz I was new, and this year again, £100 coz money is abit tight with businesses going tits up all over the show. And Im pretty sure when we went out on the 16th I didnt put my hand in my pocket once...

And we started late and finished early yesterday, and now Im off til the 3rd of Jan.

So Im pretty happy

[Josh_R]

When I worked for McDonald's last year we had a christmas party. It was pretty fun. It was a bowling party, so free bowling, pool, laser tag, shit like that. There was burgers, and whatnot. Everyone over 21 was drunk off there ass, I was under 21, but was still wasted . There was a bunch of raffle drawings for all types of prizes. The big one was a 52' flat screen. I got a juicer. Not to bad at least I can make my own healthy drinks.

My new company doesn't have a company party or anything. Everyone gets a $100 christmas bonus though. I'd rather have that than a party anyway.

[Quistis]

Work sponsors a nice party for us that I did not attend this year and my team give each other some nice little presents before Christmas

Also, there's always a chance that we get sent home earlier the day before holidays.

We also get a Christmas pay bonus. I may not exactly into programming but I love my officemates and company

[Halie]

I work at McDonalds and they sponsored an ice skating trop for us and then one of the managers organised a party at her house afterwards. I didn't go to either because I don't know many people at work yet but according to my brother the ice skating was terrible.

Honestly I'd rather have a little bit more money than a trip to ice skating, seems like it would be more useful to everyone.

[Yoko]

Yay! A place to rant and brag about my place of work some more! I really deserved a place like this though. All of my other work places were scrooges and bitches and yada yada. I went to the Grocery store christmas parties though. They were fun. I wanted to go back to them because of the people, Then I was reminded of management and ran away.

THIS PLACE THOUGH!!!! I absolutely adore this place. We had our christmas party yesterday, and it was like a casual christmas meeting. It was actually really nice. We had it in a hotel conference room with little appetizers and whatever. It was still food, and considering the stressful day I had, and food was damn good food. They had another Christmas party that I couldn't go to. The whole company was invited. The one yesterday was just the airport people. Not the grumpy head office people that I like to avoid. We had a Secret Santa gift exchange thing. I ended up getting two gifts (One wasn't really a gift, I wanted a Sunwing Model plane and I've been asking for one for a while. The Operations Manager got me one and gifted it to me. I treated it as a nice gift from him, but he kept passing it off as a gift from the 'Company' lol. Then my own 'Not to secret Santa' gift was amazing. It's a huge box (I mean huge) of Nice chocolates with a cream filling inside. It's to die for. I can't eat too much of them at once because they're so rich. I've never had anything like it. He spent more then the spending limit for sure. He even had the gift professionally wrapped!!! I was getting covered in glitter trying to open the thing. My boots still have glitter on them. The Christmas party itself was paid for by the company. We just spent the money on the gifts. Headoffice guys aren't total grinches. I will be working on Christmas. It is a necessary thing for my job. It's in my job descripton. I'm totally okay with that. The CEO and the VP of Operations will be coming in on Christmas to shake Custimers hads and wish them a Merry Christmas. It'll be a nice day I think.

It's been nice, but there's a bittersweetness behind it all. You'll know why if you read my journal. I don't feel like typing it up here.

[Michael Swayne]

Anyone want 16 ounces of Peanut Butter Cinnamon Fudge?

Because that, some mint chocolate fudge, a fleece blanket, and Toy Story Christmas card is all I got from my place of business. I am offering the fudge to you because I can't eat it. I am allergic to cinnamon, so I would rather spend my Christmas at home than in a hospital. I will mail it to you. (NOTE: Overseas TFFers will have to go half-and-half on the shipping. I didn't get any Christmas bonus money, so I am broke.)

Not only that, at this little gift-giving event, we were informed that the paper will be closed from Friday, December 23, 2011 to Tuesday, January 3, 2012. Because this is a slow time of year in ad sales, they would rather close down that week than lose money putting a paper together.

So, basically my gift from work was some poisonous (to me) Christmas treat followed by a week with no money coming in. Resulting in a late electric bill payment, which makes the water bill payment late the week after.

But, I am so happy that you all had parties and whatnot. Don't mind this Scrooge, you all have your fun.

[Lily]

I hate cinnamon