The Company Christmas Party

In the survey, published Nov. 8 by the executive recruiting firm, 94 percent of the 110 largest U.S. companies had plans for a holiday celebration this year. That’s up 7 percent from 2005.

Local companies are no exception to the national trend.

“We do parties throughout the year, but our numbers basically triple in December,” said Ted Amberg of Amberg Entertainment, which has been planning parties for corporate clients for 10 years.

Christmas with Lady Luck

Amberg said that in addition to the time-honored party traditions – such as disc jockeys and live entertainers – one of the hot new trends is company casino night. He said the casino theme is growing in popularity because it stays fresh each year.

“It’s the one item that we offer that clients will do year after year,” Amberg said. “It’s rare that we’ll have a comedian that they’ll request four years in a row. But a lot of people love the casino nights.”

Tyson Foods in Monett has held holiday casino nights for its management and clerical staff the last two years, according to Human Resource Manager Jim Haston, though he said the company will not do so this year in an effort to cut company expenses.

“We also do holiday dinners … for all of our team members,” Haston said.

Busy schedules

While the traditional holiday party time is the first three weeks of December – a fact verified by the Battalia Winston poll, which showed the week of Dec. 11 as the most popular for 2006 – parties are now being scheduled anywhere from mid-November to mid-January. That shift also is something Amberg has seen.

“It used to be that the hotels themselves would have their parties in January, because that’s when staff could stop and take a breath,” Amberg said. “But now more companies are doing it, and I think it’s because we’re running out of space – if you’re not booking a year out, it’s hard to get a room for a party.”

That lack of space is due to another gradual party trend: having celebrations away from the office. The lavishness of a company’s party, of course, is related to the company’s financial situation, but the move to off-site parties is gaining steam.

Don Anderson, vice president of human resources for CoxHealth, said that the hospital’s individual department parties are off-site at the request of the hospital.

“We don’t encourage on-site usage. We’ve got a shortage of facilities as it is,” Anderson said, adding that some departments do have informal celebrations on the premises. “People might do a potluck on a particular day – it depends on the department. But a typical party would be off-site.”

Ozark Anesthesia has held parties for its employees for several years, according to Assistant Administrator Linda Larsen.

“I think it boosts morale,” she said. “Christmas is a time, being in health care, when we don’t get a chance to stop and talk. We’re pretty close-knit and family-oriented, and this is an opportunity to visit outside of work.”

This year, Larsen said the company is doing a company scavenger hunt as a type of team-building activity.

Party planner Amberg added that having a party away from the office allows employees to relax and unwind – a benefit more companies seem to be catching on to.

“Ten years ago, more than half of companies that we’d entertain parties for, we’d go to their plant or offices and they’d have a buffet table set up, and maybe a comedian,” Amberg said.

“It was very low-key. Now it seems like people are realizing that people in the business are assets, so showing them appreciation away from the office is important,” he added.[[In-content Ad]]