Two out of five employers are axing this year’s Christmas party, but half have yet to break the news to staff, according to a study.
The survey of 2,532 company bosses undertaken by online restaurant booking service www.table7.com also revealed that, even those still planning to continue with the festive celebrations intended to have a less lavish bash than usual due to budget constraints, a need to cut corners and the impact of recent redundancies.
One in five even admitted that paying for such events meant they were forced to shuffle finances around in January in order to pay the bill.
Table7.com’s Moses Hassan said: “The results show that companies everywhere are making some tough decisions when it comes to their festive parties. It seems bosses are cutting or reducing the scale of parties and are trying to find the balance between an over-the-top affair and a well-earned celebration.”
The poll indicated that two out of five were thinking about telling workers that, although they were prepared to pay for food, they would have to pay for their own booze, while 12% said they prepared to pay for dinner but not the entertainment afterwards.
A fifth of employers were considering taking staff to the local pub rather than a posh restaurant, while 13% respectively planned to offer two courses rather than the usual three or a set menu in order to avoid unexpected costs later in the evening.
Meanwhile, although two out of five respondents believed that staff used the Christmas do to ‘drink the company out of cash’, most felt it was good for staff morale and 70% recognised that it was good for team-building.
One Response
Quality not quantity in Xmas celebrations
SO not a good idea to axe Xmas party at the last moment, unless you want your staff spending their Xmas holidays pondering the state of company finances and the security of their jobs. But this is not a year for a blow-out either. Something a little informal, and not so alcohol-fuelled that the more enthusiastic staff members risk hospitalisation. Quality rather than quantity is the key – and quality doesn’t always come with a high price tag. Thought, planning and originality don’t have to cost, and they do show you care about genuinely recognising and celebrating your team’s achievements.