Monday, November 26, 2007

Work holiday parties: comments

This is a comment thread for the current poll. Does your work have a holiday party? Do you wish it did? What is your vision for the perfect work holiday party?

Posted by Michael at 9:07 AM

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4 comments:

Michael said...

The perfect work holiday party depends on how much you like the people you work with, of course. Perhaps I should have added "optional attendance" to the list...

November 26, 2007 at 9:41 AM
Anonymous said...

Is there a perfect company holiday party?

My company's holiday party includes a buffet, a limited bar, awards for selected employees. It has not included mistletoe in my experience, nor has it included spouses and partners in the last 14 years.

I like that it is during work hours, so I don't have to give up an evening to attend and I essentially get a day off for the party. But that also gives the company an excuse to not invite spouses and partners.

Nobody likes the awards----the group I work with prides itself on teamwork, so singling out individuals seems strained and unfair. On the other hand, by limiting the number of people who receive awards, the cash amounts remain a substantial bonus rather than a token. The whole silliness of having to take a picture of each individual or group makes it all take longer than it should.

To be honest, I think I would vote for "none of the above" if it were an option. I enjoy socializing with my coworkers. A buffet and a few drinks are sufficient to get people in a festive mood. Michael enjoys socializing with my coworkers also, so he would really like to be able to attend, but I think that inviting significant others makes it awkward for those who don't have them (or who do, but they work for competitors which is more common than you might think).

---Lisa (too lazy to log in)

November 28, 2007 at 5:29 PM
Michael said...

More votes than comments on this one. The question was:

In an ideal world, work holiday parties would include...

a sit-down meal (2)
an open bar (4)
spouses and partners (3)
awards for particular employees (0)
mistletoe (1)

Five people voted, more than one item could be chosen.

December 4, 2007 at 1:39 PM
Michael said...

A timely Boston Globe article about company holiday parties says that there are clear trends this year away from including alcohol (against the preference of 80% of our voters here) and away from allowing employees to bring guests (against the preference of 60% of our voters here). I may need to start distributing my research results to a wider audience.

December 5, 2007 at 8:33 AM

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