The Wall Street Journal reported this week on a poll in November of more than 200 companies and found that more than two thirds of them were planning holiday parties for their employees. That’s up from last year and well higher than during the pandemic years.
But the survey also found, not surprisingly given higher prices for everything, companies were cutting back on catering and were doing their employee holiday get-togethers at the office.
Long gone are the days they say of those ballroom and restaurant banquet holiday parties of old.
And the survey also discovered that lots of employers and workers are not feeling very merry, because of inflation and the many layoffs companies carried out this year.
According to a LinkedIn survey, 55 percent of more than 6,000 people said they were not planning to attend their company’s holiday parties. Many saying the weight of current news events around the world is giving them pause about partying with coworkers.
But while company holiday parties may be fewer and much smaller, you can make a case that because of the wars, the nasty politics and the still struggling economy, celebrating with family and friends is even more important this year and can help replace a “blue, blue Christmas” with a very merry Christmas.
(Photo Getty Images)