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LONDON: Is the big festive bash a thing of the past? It is this year for law firm RPC, which decided to ditch its traditional office-wide Christmas parties in the United Kingdom. As it has expanded and hybrid work arrangements have become the norm, managers say it has been increasingly hard to find venues and dates to bring everyone together, particularly in the season of packed festive calendars. Instead, they will organise team get-togethers.
Lockdowns forced companies to find creative ways for staff to meet virtually and reward them for working through challenging times. Online wine tasting, wreath making and quizzes replaced festive gatherings. But even with restrictions lifted, some employers have continued to eschew the all-company party.
Toucan Telemarketing, a UK employee-owned company, has decided this year to halt Christmas festivities in favour of vouchers. “We’ve been going for 22 years, and normally have (a sit-down dinner at a local pub) every year,” Paula Bates, managing director, says. “COVID-19 put a stop to it, and it hasn’t happened since.”
This year the company put options to the vote: Instead of a party, staff chose vouchers to help pay for their Christmas lunch at home. “One guy says he gets his turkey and party food,” Bates says. This is in addition to a bonus. “It’s nice to know they’ll have that voucher that might go towards a Christmas that might be a bit harder (due to the cost of living crisis).”
The pandemic, Bates adds, challenged employers to rethink traditions that had become routine. Before lockdowns, “We wouldn’t have had a choice, we would have just had dinner, put on our party frock, and had a bit of a boogie.”
The company still puts on events for the season, including Secret Santa and baking days. Bates also expects to have a summer party, avoiding the time of year when “it’s cold” and the calendar is busy. “It doesn’t have to be Christmas when you get together.”
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