Cost Cutting...

The buzz word's which is going around these days are recession, pink slips, fired, Economic Slow down, Bail out, bankrupt and cost cutting. In these times please go through the email circulated in a small company by its management before its xxxx year celebrations:

XXXXXX XXXXXXX x year celebration:

Frequently Asked Questions

xxxxxxx 2008 is an important milestone for us. We complete x years of operation in Hyderabad. The journey has taken us from a small start of xx people in the first batch to a team of xxxx people. While the journey started earlier in xxxxxxx, the big commitment came with the Hyderabad operations. It is a pleasure to be celebrating this event with more than xx of us who have completed 5 years or more. We want to treat this as a coming of age celebration. So let us all immerse ourselves in the spirit of the event where we celebrate the past and welcome the future which comes with even higher expectations.

How is the current economic environment going to impact the event?
As we all understand, we are being very prudent with our costs given the overall economic climate. We have reduced the budget for the event by over 50% and that will definitely have some impact. However, we did not want to miss the opportunity of getting together as a XXXX XXXX family and celebrating this milestone.

The application seems to allow only one guest at no charge
Yes, that is true. Whether the employee is single or married, the rule is the same – one guest. For married, the assumption is the guest will be the spouse, however the system allows you to bring a parent, brother or sister. In the case of single employees the guest can be brother, sister or parent. Please note this is an event for our employees to celebrate and mingle with their colleagues and their families so friends or non-relatives are not allowed at all, even as guests.

What about my children?
You can bring YOUR OWN children and there is no charge for them. Please note that this does not include children of your brother or sister, that is, no nephews or nieces.

So who qualifies as Additional Guests?
As you see from previous answers, you can bring in one guest from your immediate family at no charge and your own children at no charge. If you like to bring in an additional guest – parent, brother or sister for example - then you can bring them by paying the additional charge. The ticket price of Rs. 500 for the additional guests covers the incremental cost per person. By doing this, we are able to give you more flexibility in having your family participate in this event while staying within the budget. The charges will be reflected as payroll deductions at the end of the month.

After the registrations close, in case you have any changes to be made to the number of guests attending the party, please send an email to xxxxxx xxx before 3 PM on the xxth of xxxxxxx, 2008 at which time, payroll charges will be processed. Once payroll charges are processed, they will become non-refundable because the costs would have been incurred by then.

If I have a driver, can he get dinner?
If you bring in your vehicle and you have a driver, a special dinner pass will be provided to your driver at the Entry Gate with instructions on when and where the dinner will be served. A packed dinner identical to the main dinner will be provided for drivers in the Cafeteria starting at the same time that the main dinner is served.

Who is going to know if I register my friend as a brother or sister?
As clearly stated on the registration site, employees are expected to follow the guest policy strictly and any violation is considered a serious code of conduct violation and will be dealt with accordingly.

Collection of Passes:
Once you have registered, you will be able to pick up your passes a couple of days prior to the event from the Admin on your floor or a designated person on your floor. If you have registered for transportation, please collect the passes from the Transportation desk at the Campus. Important: Please note that the Event Pass is an absolute requirement for each person to gain entry into the event. So please DO NOT forget to bring your Event Pass. Similarly, the Bus pass is required to using the Bus. You should also note that you are required to carry your XX Access Card or XX ID card to gain access into the campus and your guests must accompany you to meet our Security requirements.

Why am I paying for the bus?
The cost of the bus charge is quite nominal. Once again, financial prudence requires managing within a constrained budget. Please note that children under the age of 12 can ride the bus at no charge. The bus charges will also appear as payroll deductions at the end of the month.
Again, after the registrations close, in case you have any changes to be made to the transportation costs being incurred by you, please send an email to xxxxxxx xxxxx before 3 PM on the xxth of December, 2008. Once payroll charges are processed, they will become non-refundable because the costs would have been incurred by then.

Is there any special transport facility for women employees?
If you are a women employee and have no registered guests then you can use the home-drop shared cab facility. Cabs will leave at 10:30 PM and 11:30 PM only and while the routes will be optimized, each cab may have several drops along the way. This facility is offered to women employees only to meet the legal requirements for providing late-night home drops to women employees.

My paid guests would be utilizing their own transportation and will be joining me at the campus. Why am I being charged for my guest’s transportation?
For security reasons, the guests cannot be permitted to enter the campus without you escorting them. Please make arrangements to either meet with your guests and accompany them in their vehicle or bring them along with you in the transport provided by the company.

Neither my guests nor I are availing the company provided transportation. Can we arrive at different timings?
As explained in Question 10, for security reasons, you are required to accompany your guests and make arrangements to come in at the same time.

What does the Formal Indian Ethnic Dress code mean?
This is a 5 Year Celebration for us so we would like to make it really festive. Obviously, the ladies will be in Saris, Salwar Suits, or Lehngas. We would like the gentlemen to also look like royalty and wear either Sherwanis or formal embroidered kurtas. Clearly jeans would look really out of place.

What is the entertainment program?
We are working on a good mix of internal and external entertainment. Details will be provided closer to the event.

Why do I need to decide on my food preferences now?
It would give us a better estimate of the quantities of food and providing variety.
I understand there are no drink coupons this time.
Yes, that is true. There is actually no limit on soft drinks, tea and coffee. However, beer will require a direct payment to the caterer. The caterer will charge for small beer bottles very close to the cost.

Will my family members be able to see my office location?
Not this time. We are starting late and the entertainment program will start right away. So for security reasons the building will be locked completely above the first floor even for employees. The gym will also be locked.

Is there a specific time that I need to arrive?
The event starts at 6:00 PM and we recommend arrival by 5:45 pm. Gates to the campus will close at 7:30 PM and NO entry will be allowed after that to ensure proper security.

"So please come and enjoy this special event".......... ??????????