Ready to party? Employees send mixed signals about holiday gatherings
It’s been a long year — time to party.
That seems to be the consensus of office workers, who were more ambivalent about company holiday gatherings immediately following the pandemic than they seem to be now.
Or, is it?
While corporate holiday parties remain a staple of workplace culture, they are also adapting to evolving employee preferences and post-pandemic realities, according to the latest research.
In the U.S., the food delivery service ezCater found that 8 in 10 employees plan to attend their employers’ celebrations this year, up from fewer than 7 in 10 last year. Younger workers appear particularly enthusiastic, with 82% of Gen Z and millennials planning to attend, compared to 77% of Xers and boomers.
In the U.K., the picture is more mixed. Twenty-two percent of employees plan to skip their work holiday party altogether this year, while 11% are still undecided, according to online printing service Instantprint. Even more telling, more than 1 in 6 employees say while they’re not exactly fans of the company shindig, they plan to attend anyway, just to keep up appearances.
“A holiday party should be about celebrating the employees and the company showing appreciation for their commitment and engagement to the company,” said Marissa Andrada, chief culture officer at Wuf World, a company dedicated to making businesses and cities more pet friendly.
"A holiday party should be about celebrating the employees and the company showing appreciation for their commitment and engagement to the company."
At Helpside, which provides businesses with HR and payroll services, “we love celebrating the holidays, and our close-knit team enjoys this yearly opportunity to celebrate and have fun together,” said marketing director Samantha Reynolds. That said, she acknowledges every company is different, and sees many other companies doing things differently every year.
HR remains heavily involved in organizing company parties, with the department either running the show entirely, which is the case at Helpside, or, in Andrada’s experience, working alongside the events team.
Party spending up despite economic pressure
Corporate spending on holiday celebrations is also robust this year, even in the face of economic unknowns and corporate belt tightening.
More than 9 in 10 businesses plan to spend the same or more on this year’s party than last year’s, according to Kaushik Subramanian, chief revenue officer at ezCater. On average, companies spend nearly $30,000 on their holiday parties, with a food and beverage budget of $44 per person, per the survey.
“With employee attendance and budgets trending up, holiday gatherings continue to be a big part of workplace culture,” he said. “Employees are increasingly looking for ways to socialize and build camaraderie, and there’s no better opportunity for that than over a meal at the company holiday party.”
Meanwhile, the formal, extravagant office party appears to be falling out of favor. In the U.K., nearly 8 in 10 employees say they prefer a casual setting, with more than half of employees preferring simple drinks and a meal out. U.S. companies are trending toward smaller gatherings as well, with more than half planning parties for fewer than 100 people.
The pandemic has left a lasting impact on holiday traditions, according to Instantprint, with 6 in 10 respondents saying the office party vibe has shifted toward smaller gatherings and budget-conscious celebrations.
Food takes center stage
Food has emerged as the primary draw for holiday celebrations. Seventy-eight percent of employees say culinary concoctions are what they look forward to most at their holiday parties, per ezCater, with 85% agreeing that food is central to facilitating social interaction.
It also found that some employees have adopted a “dine and dash” mindset. About 1 in 5 employees bolt right after eating, with Gen Z being the most likely to make an early exit.
The concept of the after-hours holiday party is also evolving, with half of companies planning to hold their celebrations during business hours. That trend is particularly popular among younger employees, with ezCater finding that Gen Z workers are 50% more likely to look forward to early work dismissals than any other generation.
"If you need to stoke interest in your company party, that may be a sign to forego it, or recognize who the party is really for."
At the end of the day, it is the employees who should determine whether a company throws a holiday party, according to Reynolds.
“If you need to stoke interest in your company party, that may be a sign to forego it, or recognize who the party is really for,” she said. One Helpside client skips the party altogether in favor of an employee-organized “Secret Santa,” in which most of the employees participate, she noted.
If it’s been a “long year” at one’s company and they sense people are ambivalent about partying, bosses might want to consider giving them a bonus and a half-day off instead, advised Reynolds.
As Andrada put it, “In this time of budget cuts, ensuring that the leadership team shares the ‘why’ of the purpose of the holiday party and why it is a priority to celebrate/appreciate the employees” are key.