I HATE company holiday parties

[rushthezeppelin]

My company has no tact when it comes to these things. I've been working for them for 3 1/2 years and not been able to make it to a single holiday party because we get slammed with field work every single time. Of course us out in the field always get emails every day for two weeks leading up to the party asking to RSVP if you can make it. Then of course they send out emails afterwards of pictures about how much fun everyone had getting drunk on the company dime, while we worked a 14 hour day to make sure people in the office don't get yelled at (which has been an excercise in futility this year). This one really pissed me off because I just noticed an email from the day of the party talking about the door prizes with the wonderful "Must be present to win!" Thanks assholes for thinking of the people who are dealing directly with the customers and keeping the company together. BTW also thanks for that holiday bonus and raise for doing record business......ohhh wait nvm...............

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest before I threw my laptop through sheetrock. I need a new job : /

 

[outdare]

Welcome to field work. The redheaded step children of the company. Out of sight and out of mind unless there is a problem. Just s bit of advise office workers can't see past there cubical. Bring up your concerns to HR and see if they address the must be present to win prizes.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

HR...you mean that one lady that comes in at 10:30 and signs paychecks? She doensn't handle that stuff. I've been bringing up concerns about being worked to death and the pay freeze that's been going longer than I've been with the company with my direct boss and I keep getting the same, "Ohhhh I'm hiring a new guy soon and it should slow down" and "Ohhh I'm putting in a proposal for raises soon". I've gotten those two lines probably 4 times in the last 6 months. I'm about to raise my concerns with the company president, just trying to wait until I'm calm enough to be tactful about it (even if they aren't tactful with us).

 

[Tejano Scott]

Beats the unemployment line

 

[rsayloriii]

Beats the unemployment line

+1

I've had a friend since high school that would just up and quit if he got tired of a job. Never understood it. I've always stuck with a job until I've found another one.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Ya I certainly have no intentions of quiting until I find another job although the hours they have me working make it rather difficult to try and find a new one. Going to use some of my vacation time here pretty soon just for the that purpose. Just kind of draining that I've spent a good amount of time trying to make a career in this company and feeling like I have nothing to show for it.

At least in the customer service industry I knew I was an easily replaceable cog when I was treated that way. In this field I'm a special order part that's already on backorder yet they still treat me (and frankly all the rest of the field employees) like easily replaceable parts.

 

[TX69]

HR...you mean that one lady that comes in at 10:30 and signs paychecks? She doensn't handle that stuff. I've been bringing up concerns about being worked to death and the pay freeze that's been going longer than I've been with the company with my direct boss and I keep getting the same, "Ohhhh I'm hiring a new guy soon and it should slow down" and "Ohhh I'm putting in a proposal for raises soon". I've gotten those two lines probably 4 times in the last 6 months. I'm about to raise my concerns with the company president, just trying to wait until I'm calm enough to be tactful about it (even if they aren't tactful with us).

How hard would it be to get the other field employees together to strike? On a smaller scale myself and another employee were able to get a Brit boss fired and sent back across the pond. Fucked that abusive POS lol.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

How hard would it be to get the other field employees together to strike? On a smaller scale myself and another employee were able to get a Brit boss fired and sent back across the pond. Fucked that abusive POS lol.

Perhaps once we have a slowdown in business this would be possible but we all know that if we did that right now we would lose so much business we would be out of work. Kinda a tough spot to be in.

 

[TheDan]

I've never really been into the mandatory fun myself, so I've never minded working through the party. If you have some legitimate gripes about your job (the party thing seems minor to me), bring them up to your boss. If you can't negotiate some sort of resolution with them, then leave. No one is forcing you to work there, and most times management isn't going to change until they start losing people. I don't know what your skill-set is, but it's not hard to find a job in the Austin area.

 

[texas skeeter]

OP, step back take a breath and you'll realize you still have a good job. any job with plenty of OT is a good job. Times are bad out there right now believe it or not. I live in a better off than most neighborhood and folks are struggling here. I stuck it out in the Refrigeration/Hvac business for over the last 28 yrs with the last decade at 70-80 hrs a week on average. Finally got my dream job 6 mo's ago as a Regional Engineering Facilities Mgr. Life is GREAT now and all because I stuck it out....

 

[rushthezeppelin]

I've never really been into the mandatory fun myself, so I've never minded working through the party. If you have some legitimate gripes about your job (the party thing seems minor to me), bring them up to your boss. If you can't negotiate some sort of resolution with them, then leave. No one is forcing you to work there, and most times management isn't going to change until they start losing people. I don't know what your skill-set is, but it's not hard to find a job in the Austin area.

Agreed, in the grand scheme the holiday parties are fairly minor, and like you I'm not a huge social glitterbug or anything. Still annoying that the office staff seems a bit pampered while us in the field are, as was stated before, the red headed step-child. Just one issue with management piling on top of MANY more. I'm in home inspections, largely specializing in energy efficiency inspections. I'm trying to put feelers out and network within the field. Kinda such a small specialized field that theres not a ton of openings around, not to mention since 08 everyone in this industry has been trying to run skeleton crews because of the housing crash. Also looking into possibly getting back into what I have a degree in, game design.

 

[TheDan]

Licensed inspector? All the one's I've met have been self employed. That's a desirable alternative for many reasons, but has it's challenges as well. Worth considering.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

I've certainly considered that. I know it would be an uphill battle getting to a good spot. Sorry if I sound like I'm being whiney. I've been trying to be very humble and appreciative of where I am in life, which is certainly alot better than most in my generation. It's just a little soul draining when I've spent a good while going above and beyond instead of going through the motions, yet I have practically nothing to show for it. I get little appreciation from the office. Then I get contempt from builders thinking that they can override me and ignoring my advice to try and make things smoother for everyone. Then they demand I be at their house right then and there when I have a backlog on inspections (which goes back to mismanagement at the office that constantly promises them next day service despite it being impossible to do so right now). Just makes me feel like a big punching bag sometimes.

 

[kyletxria1911a1]

At least they offer you a partaaay my party is running sand. But you are right.
all the ones i went to were disguised as Christmas party's. Turns out that they were safety meetings. A waste of time.

 

[vmax]

ours is just a nice dinner at an upscale steak house, semi private room. Managers stand up, thank the little people, they pass out Christmas bonuses and leave.
I like it.

 

[Saltyag2010]

I work at a family owned and run business. We have a family party for lunch with no booze. It's lame

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Well thanks for having this forum here. I actually feel slightly better being able to rant about that instead of just bottling it up or letting it fall upon the completely deaf ears at my work. One thing is definitely clear, I've got to get out of this company. It is a dead end for my career. Hell they even give people "promotions" with no raises in this place like they did when they promoted our most senior energy inspector to "Lead Energy Inspector". They just gave him a fancy title and a few more responsibilities and expected him to be happy with that.

 

[Texasjack]

Very few of the big companies have parties anymore. The big dogs don't give a crap about anybody working for them. MBA schools have taught them that employees are like light bulbs - one burns out, you just screw another into the spot. It's sad.

But I have to admit that some of the parties we had when I was young were pretty miserable affairs. You had to get dressed up just to go to a Holiday Inn or something and eat a buffet that you wouldn't offer to a homeless guy. (What is in that gravy that looks greenish-yellow?) Still, they did have an open bar in those days and we did put a pretty good dent in it. Other parts of the company had better parties, and when I transferred to another group we did have a much better time. The manager of that first place had the personality more suited to a funeral director than anything else.

 

[Vaquero]

You don't sit in a cubicle or cramped office every day.
Be thankful and let the office staff have their fun.
You got the better job 365.

 

[Glockster69]

... Sorry if I sound like I'm being whiney. I've been trying to be very humble and appreciative of where I am in life, which is certainly alot better than most in my generation. It's just a little soul draining when I've spent a good while going above and beyond instead of going through the motions, yet I have practically nothing to show for it. ...

I don't mean to sound condescending but aren't you heavily tatted and with gauged piercings? If so, like it or not, that can adversely affect your income/advances in a company. Not my rules, just the way it is.