Over the years I've worked with, and for, many companies, large and small. And as each of these companies varied in size, structure and philosophy, there was also differences in how they handled the issue of a "holiday" party.
As the Christmas party became a Holiday party (and to be fair, not everyone celebrates Christmas and I can respect that), the parties themselves morphed into several formats, or worse, just disappeared altogether.
One company I worked with left the issue to each location's manager to provide for a small "get together" and a small amount of petty cash could be used for refreshments. Since our location was rather small, the manager would order a few pizzas and provide soft drinks in their home. There was an unofficial "bring your own" policy for alcoholic drinks and we even had a gift exchange.
It was all good and everyone behaved, however each year we would receive some story from the home office about how another location's party ended with an "alcohol related accident" during or after the event. Eventually, all of the parties just stopped happening because of a few bad eggs and the potential liability issues.
I attended one party that was located about an hour from my home. The person putting together the soiree clearly lacked an understanding of local geography and thought this spot was "centrally located". To make up for this we were offered an "open bar".
Not long after arriving, a couple of coworkers got into some sort of a religious debate. I watched on as these two slowly got louder, and more aggressive, as they argued about Jesus. The irony was not lost on me.
One of the oddest of these kinds of parties was structured so that the "end of year" awards could be distributed as well. After all had enjoyed egg nog and a decent meal, we were to sit in our chairs as presenters, our managers, gave out small trophies and plaques for "Most Sales" and "Customer Service Champion".
I had only been with the company a few months and truly didn't expect to win anything. I watched as all of the other sales people received awards when all of a sudden my name was called. My hard work has earned me a small plaque for "Most New Accounts - Fourth Quarter". Gracious I stood up and accepted this honor, but I made a mental note that awards for the other three quarters had not, and would not be presented. Apparently, the managers felt that everyone should receive something, so they more or less made up an award for me. Where most people would be grateful, I felt like it was more of a participation ribbon.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all of you and please feel free to share your lame party story below.
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
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