To Party or Not to Party . . .

Lots of talk these days about the Corporate Holiday Party…should companies have one or cut it out?  There are lots of different schools of thought on this one.

  1. On one hand, I completely understand the financial reality that, if a company isn’t making the numbers, they shouldn’t spend money on a holiday party.
  2. Then there’s the thinking that, if a company is making money and their employees have worked their butts off all year during these trying times…they deserve a little recognition (i.e. a holiday party.)
  3. And yet another school of thought feels that, when there are people hurting in your community, you should help them first…even if it means giving up a holiday party.

So who’s right?  Sorry, no silver-bullet answer here.  It’s all depends on your company.

The HR Maven recently shared with us that GE canceled their holiday party…a decision that was cool with her.  The culture supports servant leadership and taking care of the people in their community who need assistance.

I’ve worked places where the corporate culture would have considered it majorly uncool to cancel a holiday party.  So, when times were tough, management got creative and held celebrations to recognize the team without a huge expense.  We held cookie receptions during work hours and allowed employees to bring their kids to work for cocoa and crafts.  We gave out turkeys instead of serving fancy meals and, if they didn’t need/want it, people had the option of donating their turkey to a family in need.

Regardless of whether a company decides to cancel the party or not, management should be diligent about communicating this decision with their employees and explaining what options (if any) are available.  It’s possible to have a heart full of good intentions and end up being called a Scrooge just because of poor communication.

And I hope that, if a company decides they are going to cancel the annual holiday bash…they don’t forget the reason the party was created in the first place.  No – it’s not an excuse for free food and drink…it’s to show appreciation for the work and effort their people give to the organization.

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