Christmas parties and bonuses

We were going to have my side gig Christmas party at a Mexican restaurant. But thanks to an eagle-eyed team member who drove past the place the morning of and saw the Penske trucks parked in front, we found out the restaurant was closed.

We ended up going to Applebee's. I ended up just ordering nachos and beer because you can't microwave those.

 

I didn't even get the Jelly of the Month Club.

 

No party, no bonus. We didn’t do anything at all this year - not even a tree - but people were allowed to go home three hours early yesterday. I’d gone in an hour early since I was swamped and wound up leaving at the regular time.

I did organize a cookie collection for all out security guys and that took about two hours so I guess had I not done that I’d have gotten off. But it’s worth it to have Marines owe you a favor.

Plus it’s still a long weekend and I’m sitting in Vienna on a Saturday morning. I love my job. At least on Saturdays of a long weekend.

 

We had mass amounts of brought-in Panda Express -- served to us by the store manager -- for every shift one day, and then Mexican takeout -- again served by the manager -- for every shift the next day.

No Christmas bonus per se, but we all got our quarterly profit-sharing bonus in our last check, and, of course, the annual Christmas cards, hand-signed by the store manager and all assistant managers and HR personnel in the store.

Not bad, and I appreciated it. But I'd rather go to Vienna (hi, KJIM! ).

 

This year's Christmas dinner was held out at one of those "steakhouses" out a few miles past the dirt racetrack in the mothership's town (only a 20-mile drive for us). All of us sat together in one group. We got $75 Walmart gift cards.

One of the advertising execs from the mothership told me not to eat the ham because she saw the server drop the tongs when he was bringing it out and he put them right back in the pan. Fortunately, there was also turkey.

The publisher had us all stand and introduce ourselves and say how long we'd been there. The shortest tenure of any of us five was the managing editor and she's been there six years (everyone else was at least 10). Out of the 30 or so who work at the mothership, the high majority have been there less than five years and most of the press room has been there less than a year.

 

We had a party at the clubhouse of a ritzy country club/house development just on the edge of town, mixing it up from various restaurants over the years. They quit doing dinner a few years ago but did have it catered with enough apps that anyone trying didn’t go home hungry.

There may have been small gift cards given out for winners of several games, and I won two 20 oz yeti cups in a raffle.

We’ve done more in the past. Once I was on a winning karaoke team that won ~$300 in chamber bucks and we hosted a happy hour for our department and still had enough for a steak dinner a few days later. One year the door prize was an iPad.

But, all things considered, it was a nice night. No complaints. Things aren’t like they were a few years ago in many ways.

 

We had a party at Olive Garden and everyone got a gift card worth $25. Unfortunately for us in sports, the damn thing was on a Tuesday so high school and college basketball was in full swing and none of us got to go.

Basically, I got nothing. Thanks. Merry Christmas assholes.

 

I've never had a Christmas bonus as far as I can recall.

This year the party was at lunch. I was out at an all-star game practice for recruiting. What I did have for lunch I expensed, and I probably at 90 percent fewer cookies as a result. Wasn't all bad.

 

Our company decided this year to no longer pay time and a half on holidays so those working today (not me) don't even get that.

 

How did your company explain why that decision complied with federal law?

 

Is that legal? News organizations are despicable. The only reason they have employees of any kind in the newsroom is they are milking the few remaining people who just have to be journalists because it's in their blood and they'll do it til the pink slip finally arrives. These people frankly would just about work for free, again because it is part of them. It's in their genetic makeup to enjoy the rush and accept any shoddy treatment of the executives.
I hope the government comes and gets them for no time and a half. And to all of you who disagree with Fredrick about working 70 and getting paid for 40 and believe it doesn't exist. Cmon, Christmas this year was a Sunday. Do you really believe the NFL and NBA writers and peons writing the sidebars and doing some of the videos and shooting pictures were paid time and a half? Ha! No they weren't. They legally signed documents stating they worked 40 hours and didn't write any hours down on their spreadsheets for the holiday so corporate wouldn't see it and get upset. This business is dead and deserves to be dead. By the way hope the CEOs or whatever they call them enjoy their bonuses.
No business devalues their employees like news organizations. Some may come close, I'll give you that. But none basically dare you to resign. Again ... they still have a few writers/editors because they are addicted to the news rush; the writing rush; the editing rush. So how did your organizations handle pay for those who covered NBA, NFL, on Sunday this year?

 

My Christmas is a Monday this year.