My Punk Rock HR philosophy on holiday office parties is simple:
- I’m not a party planner. If you want a holiday party, organize it yourself. Don’t call HR.
- Please don’t turn the holiday season into a stupid team-building event.
- If you do force your employees to socialize with one another at a holiday event, make it fun & cheesy or make it classy. There is no ‘in between’ when it comes to these occasions.
I’ve attended holiday parties wearing a swanky velvet dress, and I’ve attended holiday parties wearing an ugly Christmas sweater and jeans. Both events had their merits — and I had some fun despite my cynicism.
What I haven’t done during the holidays? Compulsory volunteering.
I really enjoy volunteering and spending my free time helping the less fortunate. I don’t want to do it at work, though.
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That being said, I really like this story:
ING is playing Santa for 500 lucky homeowners in this season of foreclosures and sinking home values
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Ugh…it actually states on my job description that I am in charge of two big parties during the year. I wonder how I can change that?
@HRU Oh crap, you can quit.
Not sure how big HRU’s shop is, but maybe “in charge of” can include “delegate?” Everywhere I’ve worked, there’s at least one person who LOVES to plan events like these and will jump at the chance to do so on the clock. Just have to make sure the delegation’s a good one (i.e., communication, support, periodic check-in and obstacle-removal); you might be very pleasantly surprised with the results. You can even make it a fun — and relatively high-profile — development exercise for the delegatee.
If delegation’s not an option, then I’d check my internal network for colleagues who’re into this stuff and try to enlist their help. Just make sure that you’re 100% transparent about lining up a team, so you don’t accidentally torpedo somebody’s bill-paying project by redirecting their resources to party planning.
It’s way too late to do anything about this year’s round of winter solstice festivities, of course. But now that the days are getting longer again, is that a company picnic I see on the horizon…?
Nice answer! I will do that the next round!
Our office isn’t doing anything this year. With tight budgets and forecasts of more cuts, this will be the first year without a company-sponsored holiday event for us.
It’s alright though, we went to Hooters on our own dime.
I miss the company Christmas party! At my last employer, I was the one who got to dress up as Santa. They rented me a sweet costume, and it was always one of the best nights of my life. The party always ended at 9pm (it was on the last Friday before the holiday), so I would go out on the town dressed in full Santa wear. Here’s a great secret I learned: Santa doesn’t pay for drinks in Cleveland!
The place I’m working at had a huge and successful holiday potluck. The co. bought paper products (plates, etc) and that’s it.
It was well received, actually. No money in the budget for an actual Party, that’s for sure.
Ick….I cannot stand the compulsory volunteering that’s one of the things that really gets my goat! As for the Holiday party I’ve seen them done both ways as well, I think you’ve called it with the cheesy or classy. Make you choice and stick to it, there is no in between.
And don’t call me to plan it, I’ll tell you what I think about your ideas or maybe even throw out a suggestion or two; but if planning the party is part of my job description….I’m setting the annual Holiday Cemetery Tour!
Happy Holidays!
@Kentropic I love The Office’s party planning committee. You don’t see Toby arranging the Moroccan-themed Christmas party!
@Jesse I bet you went to Hooters ‘just for the wings.’
@Jimmy I want a Santa suit and a ticket to Cleveland. STAT.
@Lisa I’m surprised there was money for paper plates!
@Jeff Ooooh, the goth in me loves the idea of a holiday cemetery tour combined with holiday caroling to Cure songs.
We had a great holiday party, planned by marketing (they’re better at this stuff) at a fancy restaurant. We had the whole place, had a wall lined with TVs & Wiis for playing and then the TVs and systems were raffled off at the end of the night.
Oh, and it was an open bar and we got cab vouchers.
A Morrocan-themed party? I missed that episode, but I can imagine how it must’ve gone: “Oh no! I said we wanted *hash browns* for the buffet…!” Hilarity ensues. Cue the oud-and-doumbek soundtrack, and roll credits.
@Lexy Awesome & I love the cab vouchers!
@Kentropic It wasn’t as ironic as that, but it was a cute episode.