Should You Throw a Company Christmas Party?

Should You Throw a Company Christmas Party?

This time of year commands a festive atmosphere. Still, finding the opportunity to celebrate isn’t always as easy as you’d like. Is it worth throwing a company Christmas party? Or should you forego the festivities and offer a different type of end-of-year reward?

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons.

The Pros

There are many reasons why having a company Christmas party makes sense.

It’s a Handsome Reward

Your employees deserve to feel rewarded this holiday season. Having a festive celebration where they don’t have to think about work for a few hours makes their experience with your business a little bit better. When your employees are happy, your customers are too.

It Inspires Employee Bonding

It’s not always easy to bond with other employees during the holiday rush. This time of year, you’re already bringing in new team members who your more seasoned employees might not be familiar with. By having a party, you inspire employee bonding away from the stress of the holiday rush.

You Can Combine Work and Play

Sometimes, it’s possible to combine work and play. Hold a holiday party for your team but combine it with a small team pow-wow. This is a good chance for you to check up on how things are going so far during the holidays and find out what you can do to make the rest of the season a success.

The Cons

No matter how positive this party might seem, there are also some downsides that go along with it.

It’s Hard to Schedule

From a staffing perspective, you’re already stretched thin. Your employees have commitments outside of work. Using an online scheduling app such as ScheduleBase can help you coordinate the best time for the majority of your employees to mix, mingle and be merry.

Not Everyone Wants to Celebrate

We live in a melting pot, which means some people won’t care about or want to celebrate Christmas. Even if you turn your company party into a holiday party, not everyone will want to celebrate. Don’t let this get you down. Find a different way to reward the people who aren’t able to attend and surge forward with the party for the employees who want it. This could also be the answer to helping you staff your store during the festivities.

What Should You Do?

Ultimately it’s up to your team members whether they want a party. If you’re able to, make the offer. Let your team know you want to do something special and celebrate with them. If they seem up for it, there are plenty of ways you can make it work. If it won’t work for your team, you can try a post-holiday party after the rush settles down or offer a different type of end-of-year reward.

There is no right or wrong answer. Do what’s best for your team and your business.

Author Profile Jon Forknell is the Vice President and General Manager of Atlas Business Solutions, Inc., a software marketing company specializing in employee scheduling software, including ScheduleBase employee scheduling software, and other business software solutions. In the past, Jon has been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Atlas Business Solutions was named as one of Software Magazine’s Top 500 Software Companies in 2004 through 2007 and again in 2010, 2013 and 2014.