I just heard this news on the radio and then found [DLMURL="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hr4EOaOQKot8PI4kO8qSf266pOLw?docId=B3896311287046185A00"]this link[/DLMURL] for you.
I was wondering how many of you will share my indignation at the sheer meanness and hypocrisy of the Queen's reasoning. She apparently thinks that the Royal Family should share in the nation's collective belt tightening, so she is saving money by not giving her staff (who if I remember rightly are pretty badly paid anyway) their usual Christmas party!:eek:
I am really horrified by this: it seems so very unfair. Does the Queen really think she will be seen as some kind of economy conscious housewife? She could well afford to pay for her servants' party out of her private money. This whole news item has sickened me. If I worked for her, I'd be furious. If I worked in the royal kitchen, I'd be spitting in the soup!:cool:
xxx
You never know, the staff might consider it relief from another chore (perhaps).
I only worked in a company long enough to experience one work xmas party, that alone is enough to deter one from steady employment.
I just heard this news on the radio and then found [DLMURL="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hr4EOaOQKot8PI4kO8qSf266pOLw?docId=B3896311287046185A00"]this link[/DLMURL] for you.
I was wondering how many of you will share my indignation at the sheer meanness and hypocrisy of the Queen's reasoning. She apparently thinks that the Royal Family should share in the nation's collective belt tightening, so she is saving money by not giving her staff (who if I remember rightly are pretty badly paid anyway) their usual Christmas party!:eek:
I am really horrified by this: it seems so very unfair. Does the Queen really think she will be seen as some kind of economy conscious housewife? She could well afford to pay for her servants' party out of her private money. This whole news item has sickened me. If I worked for her, I'd be furious. If I worked in the royal kitchen, I'd be spitting in the soup!:cool:
xxx
They might do already lol
Frankly this doesn't surprise me. If this story I've posted below is anything to go by then it seems like a good excuse to cancel the staff party. Honestly, one must be on one's beam ends;)
if anything you would think she would want to boost moral for the staff. I bet she does cancel hers lol
Think you left out a 'not', CR!
Surely this can't be true. What is she thinking? I can't believe someone can get something so badly wrong.......
One must be so strapped for cash if one only gets £32.2 million to cover one's expenses! One only has 4 palaces to heat! How much saving will a staff Christmas party cost? It is thought she is one of the richest people in the world wih all her worldwide investments.
Personally I hate staff parties and after-work drinks and never go to them. I like my colleagues, but I like my friends and my free time more. But a team that socialises together is a more coherent team - so they do have their benefits. I guess it depends on whether this is the only opportunity her staff have to spend some time together socially, and if it is an event that they all look forward to. If that's the case then it's a real shame. However, either way giving them the day/night off would be a nice gesture.
Ava x
I am really horrified by this: it seems so very unfair. If I worked for her, I'd be furious. If I worked in the royal kitchen, I'd be spitting in the soup!:cool:
xxx
Humm seems a trivial matter to be 'horrified' by :022:
Humm seems a trivial matter to be 'horrified' by :022:
I think the problem is not a material one but a spiritual one. It's horrifying to discover that in the mind of ones employer, one is expendable as any other commodity. It may often be true, but certain gestures such as xmas parties are supposed to maintain the veneer.
Jeannie you are of course entitled to your opinion as am I when I say I was 'horrified' to read that the booking of a holiday to the most touristy and noisiest part of Spain in August resulted in being urrrmm noisy and touristy!
Love
Rebecca x
An interesting one. I was at conference last week, and met someone who works for the Royal Household. I'm not a royalist by any stretch, (neither was she funnily enough), but naturally was curious to find out about life at the palace......
She told me about the Christmas party, which from her p.o.v most staff found fairly excruciating (you have to queue to receive your pressie from Phillip!), and that although a novelty if new, came to be a bit of chore for all involved. It all sounded very upstairs downstairs and then some! Anyway, I also asked her about rates of pay for more junior household staff and apparently they get free board, free food and although salary is low, the equivalent value of the income would be around 35k, given they lodge in central london, where rents are astronomical. For the younger people working there, it's a great opportunity to explore London at least for a few years while you still have no responsibilites.
I understand the sentiments expressed here, but from this one insider's p.o.v (not largely representative admittedly) not that many tears will be shed over the lack of a party......would also echo kvdp, I'd shed few tears if told there was no Christmas party at my place of work this year 😀
El
Thanks, Elodie, for offering an alternative POV. It's made me think again. And yes, Jeannie, 'horrified' was perhaps a tad hyperbolic when quantifying my reaction. However, I should like to reiterate that my point was more to do with the fact that the Queen is claiming this to be a shining example of her sharing in the nation's austerities during a time of economic recession, while in reality it's her staff who are going to be denied a knees up. Now that I know the staff are possibly not going to care one way or the other I can stop feeling indignant on their behalf, but I still feel that the Queen has got things back to front.
xxx
. However, I should like to reiterate that my point was more to do with the fact that the Queen is claiming this to be a shining example of her sharing in the nation's austerities during a time of economic recession, while in reality it's her staff who are going to be denied a knees up. Now that I know the staff are possibly not going to care one way or the other I can stop feeling indignant on their behalf, but I still feel that the Queen has got things back to front.
xxx
I think it's also to do with the staff now not feeling very valued! Whether they wanted to attend or not, it's the fact that this was the event that had to be cancelled - when in fact I'm sure other events could have been knocked on the head (like the Pope's visit but that's another story). It looked like a question of "well Ma'am we need to make some cuts. OK, let's cancel Christmas!".
My company cancelled Christmas ages ago (I've never even had a Chrissy bonus here! and guess what, it's my tenth anniversary coming up and I am being presented with ....... a pen!:D). Still being in a job, to me, is the main thing.