It’s December and for some meeting and event planners that may mean finalizing details for the annual holiday gathering. However, this year a growing number of employers are ditching the party altogether.
In a recent survey, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that almost two-thirds (65 percent) of HR professionals said their organizations would host a party for all employees. But 30 percent of respondents said no party was planned at their organization.
This is an increase of 13 percent who said “no party” over 2012 figures.
“The outlook for holiday cheer is promising, but for some organizations, parties are a thing of the past,” said Evren Esen, director of survey programs at SHRM. “They may have been cut initially because of tough financial times during the recession or because of other reasons. But the fact is that more organizations are saying they are not having parties than in the past.”
Some party-goers will see larger spreads, as 45 percent of those planning a party have a budget larger than five years ago. 83 percent of respondents indicated that they have a budget for their holiday party.
As for the merriment, 67 percent of respondents said their party would be off-site and 22 percent said they would close early that day (10 percentage points higher than in 2012). More than one-half (59 percent) said alcohol would be served at the party, and 46 percent said prizes would be given.
The survey was conducted in October and has a margin of error of 5 percentage points. It also showed:
- 82 percent of respondents said their organization would participate in charitable donations and drives, an increase from 74 percent in 2012.
- 23 percent said their organizations would give nonperformance-based gifts to all employees at the end of the year, a decrease from 32 percent in 2013.
About one-half of respondents said gift exchanges were planned at their organizations, with 43 percent conducting gift exchanges within departments, seven percent companywide, and three percent both.
