The Staff Christmas Party
14 December 2007
The staff Christmas party is on tonight. Half of the people in my department are at the party, mainly for the free alcohol. One of the guys in my team is using it as a "pre-party" before he heads out for a night on the town.
The other people in the department aren't turning up for various reasons. I'm not there because I work with these people all week and I don't want to spend my free time with them too. The woman who sits next to me isn't going because she can't take her husband. Apparently the company used to allow spouses of you paid $20. Now the company is trying to encourage inbreeding by restricting the party to company employees only.
The Christmas parties aren't cheap. The budget is NZ$50 per employee - and I understand that employees who aren't turning up are also counted in the equation. The trouble is that the party certainly doesn't help create loyalty and goodwill towards the company. Half the staff simply go for the free grog, and the other half avoid it altogether. No one goes to the party and thinks "I am going to spend the rest of my life working for the company because they appreciate me and put on these nice parties for me."
I have to wonder whether these events are worth the time and money put in to them. Would it be better just to give each person $50 in cash (or a gift voucher) and let them spend it as they please. Or even just include the amount in the annual payrise. This would help improve morale even more.