By Evan Vitale
A recent study conducted asked employees what they would rather do (or have) than the traditional – and sometimes dreaded – holiday office party.
Guess what?
Over 90% of all office employees surveyed said they didn’t want to have an office party. Instead, they would prefer a bonus, a gift, or even an extra day off around the holidays.
Many companies have cut back on the extra expense of the traditional office holiday party. However, cut backs are cut backs and they usually don’t mean that instead of an office party, employees are going to receive a bonus or extra days off work.
One my clients offered a few suggestions on how they handled the office party event.
During the first few years of being in business (a startup), the holiday office party included a pitch-in lunch and a simple gift exchange. After lunch, the owner allowed them to have the rest of the day off work (a Friday afternoon), so they could finish holiday shopping, etc.
As the company grew, my client had the holiday lunch catered, but money spent on the gift exchange was collected and given to the local food bank.
Some employees, depending on their age and work-place traditions enjoy the holiday season and, with it, still enjoy having a party with office staff, family and friends.
What do you think of the office holiday party?
