Bah Humbug to the Office Party?

Bah Humbug to the Office Party?

If you’re not looking forward to your office party this Christmas, or if your company isn’t having one at all, then you’re probably in the majority.  According to a survey of 1000 UK employees commissioned by Reward Gateway, almost a third (32%) won’t have a Christmas party to go to, and of those that do, over half aren’t looking forward to it.

Many respondents whose company will have a Christmas party indicated they will actively try to avoid the arranged party altogether, with 17% saying they would definitely not attend and 7% answering that they would either try not to attend or would be leaving early.  This is despite around a quarter of Christmas parties being fully subsidised.

Many employees surveyed won’t see any benefits at all from their company over the Christmas period, with 36% of respondents saying that their company didn’t do anything ‘nice’ over the festive holiday.  A similar number of respondents felt that any such benefit would result in a morale boost for staff, indicating that this is an important opportunity that is being missed by some employers.

Debra Corey, Group Reward Director at Reward Gateway agrees: “A strong reward and recognition strategy is the starting point and a must for businesses who want to attract, engage and retain the very best. Whatever you do this Christmas, it should be part of a wider year-long strategy and not stand on its own.”