Workplace

It should come as no surprise that more companies will be forgoing the holiday fete this year, said Kelly Phillips Erb in Law.com. Only 62 percent of companies say they are planning a party, according to a survey by Challenger Gray & Christmas. That’s down from 77 percent in 2008 and 90 percent in 2007. Yet, after a year of layoffs and cutbacks, skipping the festivities in the name of cost cutting may not be such a good idea. “A holiday party done right has the potential to translate into increased productivity and loyalty.”

In lieu of lavish parties, some employers are “trading Chardonnay for charity contributions and crêpes for kindness,” said Vickie Elmer in The Washington Post. Maryland’s Hodgson Consulting will hold a company potluck and donate what it would have spent to low-income families. The Washington, D.C., employees of accounting firm KPMG will spend a day making teddy bears and wrapping them, together with books, for local children. The trend isn’t entirely altruistic. Charitable campaigns often cost less than a traditional party, help foster camaraderie, and can “help burnish a company’s reputation.”

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