The nightmare before Christmas: is the party over for the office festive do?
Seasonal cheer and morale-boosting benefits under threat from economic woes and employee disinterest – or dread
![Smiling businessman pours champagne for his colleagues during a Christmas party in the office](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ahFpFKhTvG6dBVwLJBgbNW-415-80.jpg)
London's hospitality sector is "booming", said Bloomberg, as bookings for office Christmas parties come "roaring back".
Reservations have "soared" past 2019 levels, wrote the site's Ellie Harmsworth, following years "blighted" by Covid lockdowns and strikes. Restaurants, pubs and bars across the capital report being fully booked this festive season, amid "intense" demand for office parties and dinners.
Yet while many companies are scrabbling to secure venues, a growing number of employees are "RSVPing 'no'", said Startups. The Christmas party was once "an important diary entry in the professional calendar", Janine Blacksley of recruitment company Walters People UK told the business advice site. But this year "feels like there has been a tide change", she continued.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Chance to let off steam and a reward'
From as far back as when Ebenezer Scrooge's former boss Fezziwig threw a Christmas party in Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol", employers have been hosting festive gatherings to "show their appreciation for their employees' hard work", said HR-Brew.com.
Today, in a hybrid work environment, staff may be "looking for occasions to connect with colleagues", said Emma Jacobs in the Financial Times. And if done well, company events such as Christmas parties "can boost morale".
After all, wrote Jacobs in another opinion piece for the paper, an office party is "a chance to let off steam, a reward for working hard, a reminder that work is a collective enterprise and an opportunity to discover new sides to colleagues".
Better team morale can mean "better staff retention" too, said TechRound, and boost productivity levels, which can all have "a positive influence on employees' well-being" as well as benefiting businesses.
'Give millions of people sleepless nights'
"Re-cork the prosecco and shut away the photocopier," said Startups's lead writer Helena Young. While many companies are steaming ahead with their Christmas party plans – in London, at least – recent survey findings from Walters People suggest that almost half (48%) of UK employees will be no-shows this year, while 20% will just "show their face" and then leave.
Of the no-shows, 37% said attending would be "too much effort", while 31% were worried about the associated costs.
Fears about embarrassing behaviour are also a factor. A separate study, by Premier Inn, found that nearly three-quarters of workers believed office parties were a "cringe hotspot".
The research also revealed that festive parties "give millions of people sleepless nights", said the Daily Star. One in four reportedly "lies awake worrying over what we did or fear we're about to do" at the annual office bash.
The lack of festive cheer isn't confined to staff either, amid "skyrocketing business rates and inflated commercial rent costs", said Startup's Young. The Walters People study found that 59% of workplaces across the country were scaling back celebrations, or cancelling them entirely, to "cut costs".
It's the same story across the Atlantic, said Anne Marie Chaker in The Wall Street Journal. Many firms that used to throw "opulent dinner parties" are downsizing to "low-key office potlucks", partly because employees have said "they won't show up to anything outside of work hours".
Some workers "echo a longstanding refrain", added Chaker, that companies should "forgo celebrations and distribute the money saved directly to staff".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.
-
Red Speedo: a 'darkly comic' doping drama
The Week Recommends Lucas Hnath's play stars Finn Cole as a 'reptilian' swimmer determined to win at all costs
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
One Aldwych: where London's creative spirit takes centre stage
The Week Recommends This five-star Covent Garden hotel is the epitome of elegant independence
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Charlotte Dujardin and equestrianism's dark side
In the Spotlight Olympic gold medallist and dressage star's suspension over horse whipping brings abuse in horse sports back into the spotlight
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
It's not your imagination — restaurant reservations are becoming harder to get
In the Spotlight Bots, scalpers and even credit card companies are making reservations a rare commodity
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The big deal: Why are fast-food chains suddenly offering discounts?
Today's Big Question After inflation and price hikes, a need to bring customers back
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Retail media is seeing a surge this year
The Explainer Amazon now makes more money from advertising than Coca-Cola's global revenue
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Brain drain' fear as record numbers leave New Zealand
Under The Radar Neighbouring Australia is luring young workers with prospect of better jobs
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Barcelona's Airbnb ban: a sign of things to come?
Talking Point Crackdown on short-term lets to combat unaffordable housing echoes similar moves elsewhere, but anti-tourism protests could prove self-defeating
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
A massive copper shortage is on the horizon
Under the Radar It is estimated that mines will only meet 80% of copper needs by 2030
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's future at Tesla may hang in the (very expensive) balance
Talking Points The iconic electric vehicle's board must convince shareholders it's worth awarding their tech titan CEO a $50 billion pay compensation package — or he might walk
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How did Starbucks 'fall from grace'?
The Explainer The coffee giant faces lower quarterly sales. Is it the economy, or have the drinks grown stale?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published