Company hosts 'mandatory' party on New Year's Eve, expects employees to drop everything: 'A company party on New Year’s Eve isn’t generous it’s intrusive'

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jan 3, 2026 10:00 AM EST

Would you go to a company party on New Year's Eve?

New Year's Eve, at least in my worldview, is a very important holiday. It's a time to reflect on the year gone by, think about all you accomplished, all you learned, the music you listened to, the films you watched, and the friends you made. It's also a time for friends. After a slew of family holidays, New Year's Eve is for friends. It's for the people who carried you through the year. It's for wearing a sparkly dress and letting loose. Whether you stay in or go out, New Year's Eve is for you to do exactly what you want to do. It's not a time for obligations. Maybe you have to work, or you have to take care of someone, but it's not a time for quasi-mandatory company outings. Certainly not. It's hard to get anyone to those events during non-holidays, but what about on a holiday itself?

Company parties occupy a weird space between mandatory and non-mandatory. Nothing can be truly mandatory because you're not on the clock. But these things have a way of meaning something to the people who throw them. They might be silently tracking your attendance and using it as information regarding potential raises or promotions. You never know. So most employees do their best to be there, even if they don't necessarily want to. But there are certain boundaries that we can place around these types of events, and attending one on a holiday might be one. 

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  • A group of businesspeople clink champagne glasses
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Whether you're a party animal who wants to be out all hours on NYE, or you're planning on being in bed before the ball drop, that's your choice to make. You would hate to feel obligated by a random work event that nobody is that excited about. But one employee found themselves in the position to make that decision, and weren't sure what to do. Should they sacrifice their night out and go, or should they risk jeopardizing their position at work? Read on for the full story and see what you think about it. 

  • A company party on New Year's Eve isn't generous it's intrusive...

    A company hosted party on new year's eve isn't a perk. It's not generous. It's forcing employees to spend a personal, culturally significant night with coworkers instead of people they actually choose.
    via u/Lankystole820
  • Calling it "fun" doesn't change the fact that it's mandatory. Mandatory fun is still mandatory. And when opting out is frowned upon, tracked or quietly punished it's not a choice it's an obligation dressed up as appreciation.
    via u/Lankystole820
  • New year's eve is one of the few nights people expect to spend how they want. With family, friends, alone, resting whatever. Reclaiming that time for "team bonding" feels less like gratitude and more like entitlement over employees' lives outside work. If a company genuinely cared about morale they'd give people the night off not schedule a forced celebration and expect gratitude for it.
    via u/Lankystole820
  • Let us go home. Let us live our lives. Not everything needs to be a culture building exercise.
    via u/Lankystole820

  • Commenters added their thoughts on the situation.

    Appropriate_Tea90... I can't stand company events outside of work. I skip them if I can. I give work more than enough of my time. I'd much rather spend it with people I'm actually close to.
    via u/Appropriate_Tea9048
  • DaveEscobar Ain't no party like a Liz Lemon party because a Liz Lemon party is mandatory
    via u/DaveEscobar
  • A group of businesspeople have a party outdoors
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • msharris8706 Same with unpaid lunches. It's an extra 2.5hrs or more per week that an employee is at work, yet not being paid. Yay capitalism.
    via u/msharris8706
  • jodrellbank_pants Can I bring my family is the get out clause. Unless they counter with were your family now!
    via u/jodrellbank_pants
  • tacotacoburritob... I haven't attended a work event outside of work hours in at least a decade. Though, I've never had a boss tell me I had to, either.
    via u/tacotacoburritoburr
  • LowDetail1442 If it's mandatory, it should be paid
    via u/LowDetail1442
  • looseygoosey11 I've never heard of a company doing a mandatory new years party before. This isn't a thing
    via u/looseygoosey11
  • SWEMW Even if I could bring my SO to the party, company outings. and parties are nothing but judgmental events. Anything you do that seems "wrong" to them could be used against you at some point, especially when alcohol is involved. I'm not encouraging to ever get
    via u/SWEMW
  • super drunk, but over the holidays, many people just like to have fun. And I'd like to have fun without the chance of being secretly judged by assholes.
    via u/SWEMW
  • _TwilightPrince I suppose unless you're in an essential service and you have to be there for your shift, yeah, just let everyone go home.
    via u/_TwilightPrince
  • Additional-Sky-7... Company parties exist so that upper management can convince themselves that their employees like them and that they are cool. I never go.
    via u/Additional-Sky-7436
  • LtJimmyRay Unless it's paid, it's not mandatory. Find out if you're being paid, and if not, don't go.
    via u/LtJimmyRay
  • _Art_Vandelay_ If it's truly mandatory, you have to be paid for your time.
    via u/___Art_Vandelay____

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