Majority of workers want office holiday party: Survey

More than half say their favourite work-related celebration is company party

The traditional office holiday party is still popular among the majority of workers.

More than half (52 per cent) of employees say the company office party is their favourite work-related way to celebrate the holiday season, according to a survey by OfficeTeam.

Some workers — 22 per cent — prefer not to celebrate the holidays at work, found the survey of more than 260 Canadian workers.

"Many employees look forward to the office holiday party because it offers a chance to unwind with colleagues," said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. "These celebrations can also be the perfect opportunity to recognize people for their hard work throughout the year.

"To get everyone in the holiday spirit, party organizers should involve staff members in the planning process and build excitement prior to the event."

In planning a holiday party, employers should avoid leaving plans to the last minute, leaving anyone out, and keep the focus away from business or work-related issues. Employers should make an effort to schedule early, let employees know the dress code, get employee input on menu and activities and keep celebrations nondenominational.

Workers’ top choices for work celebrations were:

• Off-site party (35 per cent)

• On-site party/luncheon (17 per cent)

• Charitable activity (12 per cent)

• Office decorations (10 per cent)

• Informal gift exchange (5 per cent)

• I’d rather not celebrate the holidays at work (22 per cent)

Workers’ least favourite things when it comes to office holiday parties included:

• Boring activities (24 per cent)

• Peer pressure to attend (21 per cent)

• Inconvenient scheduling (17 per cent)

• Coworkers misbehaving (9 per cent)

• Coworkers dressing inappropriately (2 per cent)

• None (22 per cent)

• Other/I don’t know (5 per cent)

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