Is the Office Holiday Party Happening This Year?

Celebrating the end of the year and its many holidays hasn’t always been a big question for many companies, but that is changing.

Before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was widely assumed that many companies hold an in-person event (finances permitting) to celebrate their employees’ efforts, whether it’s a “Winter Party,” “Holiday Party,” or an increasingly outdated “Christmas Party.” Even last year, in the throes of the pandemic before a vaccine was readily available, the answer was clear and many end-of-year gatherings happened virtually — over video-conferencing services like Zoom — or didn’t happen at all.

However, this year, as companies return to the office a few days a week or even full-time the question of how to celebrate the end of the year has become murky — as of November, only 11% of employed Americans still work solely at home due to the pandemic.

Returning to the office has helped re-normalize face-to-face interactions in the workplace and largely pushed the Delta variant out of mind. But now, the rise of the Omicron variant is giving some employers pause for thought as the prospect of another year of Zoom celebrations looms.

What do HR leaders think?

The aptly named outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas released the results of its 17th annual survey aimed at quantifying corporate holiday party plans.

Almost 27% of the 182 human resources executives that responded to the firm’s survey between October and November of this year plan to hold an in-person event, up from a little over 5% in 2020, while 22% were still unsure what they will do.

Only 35% of companies don’t plan on holding an in-person celebration, a notable drop from 55% last year.

| Will your company hold an in-person holiday party this year? | 2020 | 2021 | | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- | | No, we had one last year, but we are not holding one this year due to COVID. | 44% | 1.7% | | No, we had a party last year, but not this year due to cost cutting. | 5.33% | 3% | | No, we never have holiday parties. | 4% | 10% | | No we did not have one last year, and are not having one again due to COVID. | N/A | 18.2% | | No, other reasons. | 1.3% | 1.7% | | Yes, we always hold holiday parties, but it will be modified due to COVID. | 4% | 8.3% | | Yes, we always hold holiday parties and will not modify it due to COVID. | 1.3% | 5% | | Yes, we are having one after one or more years of not holding one due to COVID. | N/A | 13.3% | | Each location will make a determination according to local COVID mandates and public health guidance. | 12% | 10% | | We are hosting a virtual event due to COVID. | 17.3% | 7.1% | | Unsure at this time. | 10.7% | 21.7% |

Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

Risks

Many companies have always assumed some level of risk with holiday events, and in the wake of the #MeToo movement employers have tended to cut back on alcohol at events or parties as a whole to avoid potential issues like sexual assualts or harassment.

A similar downscale may also be in the works for many companies, as the benefits of coming together in person are outweighed by the health, reputational and legal risks of hosting a possible super-spreader event. In Norway, a corporate Christmas party held by renewable power producer Scatec made headlines and is credited with exposing up to 100 employees to the Omicron variant.

Given the potential for things to go wrong, companies are reevaluating their annual celebrations. As Society for Human Resource Management President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor Jr. told The Wall Street Journal, “In the wake of concerns, they just think it’s not worth the risk.”

Rethinking the party

Comprehensive in-person holiday options are looking increasingly less and less desirable as COVID cases surge.

Here at The Org, we initially planned to fly employees to New York from our Copenhagen headquarters for a holiday party, but we’ve since canceled plans for a centralized in-person event.

Other options exist for those not looking to cancel their events entirely, and some companies have decided to downsize and decentralize their events. For instance, Expedia is organizing a series of more intimate team events as opposed to one big office celebration, according to Forbes, while US teams at SoftBank Advisors are conducting small informal outdoor gatherings.

This year employees at SAP will be allowed to expense their own holiday celebration, up to $100 each, giving them the freedom to do things their way. The company’s North American President, DJ Paoni, revealed to The Wall Street Journal that the company came to this decision after an internal survey revealed a diminished craving for an in-person event and it was decided that “we’ve all spent enough time in front of our computer screens.”

Other companies, especially those that have embraced remote and hybrid work structures, are getting more creative and finding different ways to show their appreciation. For example, Superhuman decided to run a company-sponsored gift exchange that it’s termed “Secret Snowpal,” which allows employees to surprise each other with gifts no matter where they are based, CEO Rahul Vohra told Fast Company. The hybrid company has also set up a Slack channel so employees can share videos or pictures of themselves unwrapping their gifts, which creates a sense of togetherness.

“We are also organizing opportunities to volunteer,” Vohra added. “Just as with Secret Snowpal, we are leaning into our hybrid model and including options for both in-person and remote employees.”