At my job, when we have a party (the parties are pot luck, we don’t pay money we just bring a dish), we always have people that show up like vultures but they have not brought anything. A pot luck party is only as good as the number of people that contribute. You obviously can’t have a lot of people eating if not a lot of people have brought food.

Flyers go out via email and are posted, sign up sheets are posted, plus everyone talks about it for days prior to the party, so nobody can say they did not know. Even on the day of the party, people go out and buy food to contribute, so where there’s a will there’s a way. Nobody is saying they have to spend a lot – a few bottles of soda or some napkins or anything is appreciated. Yet we always have people who are not ashamed to show up and eat and have not contributed something.

What is a polite way to tell people or ask people not to come if they have not brought a dish? These are coworkers who we all get along with, yet it’s the same every party.

Topics: parties, people, politeness, etiquette, assertiveness, work place