Year-End Party Gone Wrong: An HR Perspective on Entitlement and Food Hoarding

How would you feel if there is no food left for you?

Year-end parties are meant to celebrate the team — food, drinks, and a little fun. But sometimes, even the simplest gesture, like ordering free food, reveals the true culture of a workplace. This is one of those unforgettable moments I lived as an HRBP, where entitlement and “patay gutom” behavior turned a buffet into chaos.

Before the actual party in the evening, at a BPO company somewhere in Metro Manila (if you’re reading this, yes, I’m referring to all of you), the manager thoughtfully ordered food — pancit palabok and spaghetti, two orders each, supposedly enough for 60 employees. I walked into the pantry, ready to get my share… and suddenly, it was like a typhoon had hit. Everything. Gone.

And why? Because apparently, free food is not a gesture of appreciation. It’s a right. The company owes them. Bags were stuffed, plates piled high, and logic clearly took a vacation. Even I, trained to handle chaos professionally, felt my blood pressure spike — a reminder that employee culture reveals itself in the smallest moments.

I had to run around alerting friends who were busy working because, in “patay gutom” (English: ravenous) mode, nobody thinks of anyone else. Some kind souls managed to save food for others — bless them — but the majority? Totally insensitive. If there had been extra food, you could have grabbed it later or even stored it in the fridge.

If there had been extra food, you could have grabbed it later or even stored it in the fridge. Hording it to the point that some employees don’t get a share? Way too insensitive. 

Complaints poured in from employees left out, their frustration obvious. Yes… that day, I found myself acting as the HR food distribution hotline / complaint center.

And then came the booze. Oh yeah, the free booze. By the evening of the year-end party, some employees were so wasted they couldn’t even go home safely. Not a good look. But hey, maybe that’s how some people cope with their deep-seated entitlement and inability to share a simple plate of spaghetti. I mean, why stop at hoarding food when you can also hoard dignity?

I was frustrated but held my tongue to avoid the drama.

Lessons From a “Patay Gutom” Moment

I have learned the following hard lessons from this situation:

1. Free food is not a test of generosity. It’s a test of basic human decency, which many apparently failed spectacularly.

2. Quiet or busy employees and those who wait their turn? Guaranteed to be left hungry.

3. Entitlement will destroy even the simplest gesture. Free perks? Survival-of-the-fittest mentality activated.

4. HR and management, yes, you need systems. Even for something as “simple” as party food served later.

5. Employee culture is revealed in tiny moments — like a buffet line — far more than any engagement survey could ever show.

That night, I realized something crucial: no amount of food, booze, or planning can fix human behavior.

Some people will always treat free perks like an apocalypse scenario — hoarding, pushing, shoving, ignoring everyone else — all while thinking the company owes them. And yes… it was exasperating.

So, here’s my wish for the next year-end party: may the food last long, the booze be optional, and the “patay gutom entitlement mode” stay locked firmly in someone else’s pantry.

HR Q&A: Over Food

Question: If faced with this kind of culture — entitlement, food hoarding, and employees missing out — what would you do?

(Of course, if you’re aware of the situation ahead of time, you can control it. But the “patay gutom” employees? They’ll never be happy and will definitely complain to the next HR you can think of… yes, I lived this — all over food.)

About Me:

Joseline M. Alosbaños, known as the HR Carousel Ringmistress, is a Philippine-based Certified HR Practitioner with over twenty years of experience in Human Resources Management. Her extensive career spans various sectors, including corporate, freelancing, and consulting, equipping her with a wide range of skills. Joseline excels in employee relations, talent acquisition, total rewards management, HR operations, and organizational development, successfully implementing HR strategies that align with business objectives and promote a positive workplace atmosphere. If you require my services, feel free to contact me at joyce.alosbanos@gmail.com.