The swanky holiday office party has been cancelled. Credit: Getty Images
Love them or hate them, lavish holiday parties have long been a mainstay of corporate culture -- the one time of the year when all employees are encouraged to eat, drink and be merry... on the company's dime. But this year, not so much. Yet another side effect of our troubled economy, this season's office parties have fallen victim to serious cost-cutting, and the glaring disparity has many hardworking employees feeling bah humbug.
"How do I feel? Ripped-off!" says Tom Conrad (not his real name), the operations manager at an ad agency in Boston whose company holiday bashes have, he complains, gone seriously downhill. "We went from totally crazy belly-dancing and hookah-puffing parties to low-key drinks and appetizers at a bar. They even cut out significant others from the festivities! This is our tenth anniversary, and I had to remind everyone, because they've laid-off most of our staff. It's really dispiriting."
A staffer at a New York City tabloid newspaper bemoaned the downgrading of his company's holiday bash to Holidash. "I remember the days of a half-dozen fancy hotel banquet rooms filled with open bars, huge buffets, ice sculptures, blackjack tables and rainforest greenery. Now, our party is held in one tiny pub room, with a cash bar and shepherd's pie," he says.
"Companies are definitely scaling back this year," said Julie Pryor, a Los Angeles-based event planner and owner of Pryor Events. "They are cutting costs by inviting employees without their spouses, scheduling their parties during the week and cutting back on the amount of entertainment they are offering.
"I do see a positive change from this time last year, when many companies actually cancelled holiday parties. Some companies have stopped having holiday parties completely, but many realize this does not promote good morale throughout the office."
One employee of a financial firm in Manhattan who asked to remain anonymous decries her firm's penny-pinching measures that sound straight out of an episode of The Office. "In the past our department went to Bryant Park Grill for a holiday lunch," she says. "This year? We are having a potluck in a conference room."
Restaurants, event planners and caterers are feeling the effects of this lack of corporate holiday cheer. Connecticut-based food expert Dina Cheney, author of Tasting Club, says, "For the past five years, I've been conducting corporate tastings. They're really fun and different, plus terrific ice-breakers. In the past, I would have done at least three of these each holiday season, and I haven't yet gotten any bookings this year."
Kathy Becker, vice president of the Coronado Ballroom in St. Louis says, "We are experiencing what we like to call the 'Fear of Cheer.' In past years, the month of December has been filled with lavish catered events in our ballroom that sometimes cost over $200 a person. This year, we do not have any holiday parties booked on the premises. In this business, you have to roll with the punches, and we can only hope that next year will be better."
Amid all of the grousing, however, there is a glimmer of optimism among workers who are celebrating at more parsimonious parties this holiday season. "Indeed, our office is having a 'sad little Christmas party,' but it was decided by the employees," says Lisa A. Herickhoff, Ph.D., who works for the pet-sitting service Petz Check In in Colorado. "We are having a gathering at a country western bar where we can play pool, dance and eat prime rib," says Herickoff. "It isn't a five-star restaurant, but it will be a good way to relax, laugh and create some good memories with co-workers.
"Rather than focusing on the what-ifs, we are focusing on being thankful for a job, for a company party of any sort, and for the ability to be a happy co-worker rather than a Grinch!"
