It’s something that happens every year. It’s one of those things that you’re sure you could live without. It’s an event that you hope no one will go to so that they’ll cancel it and you can find something more constructive to do with your Saturday evening.

What is it that you would rather avoid? It’s the annual office party. What else could create so many mixed feelings at what would otherwise be a joyful time of year?

Such get-togethers are as predictable as a British summer. The food is often barely edible and consists of the same old fayre: sausage rolls, wilted vegetables with over-spiced dips, cold breaded chicken, onion bhaajis, and enough alcohol to supply the crew of an 18^th century galleon for a year.

Maybe your company is different. Instead of having your party in the office, you have a sit-down meal at a restaurant. If you’ve been attending them for any length of time, you can probably recite the menu without even looking at it: Smoked salmon, melon and prosciutto, or pâté on toast to start; ham, turkey, pork or a vegetarian alternative for the main, and Christmas pud, crème brûleé, or cheese (if you’re posh) for a sweet. Then coffee and mints to finish.

There may be some other choices, too, but this doesn’t prevent you from having the same thing each year. You do this partly because you like to know what you’re getting and partly because the options don’t sound very appetizing.

And while you’re trying to maintain an air of maturity, so as to not embarrass yourself in front of the boss, you’re expected to wear a silly paper hat, laugh at the ridiculous “jokes”, and play with the toys that have spilled out of your Christmas cracker.

On top of all that, you have to set aside a little money each month in the year before in order to have enough to pay for the party in December.

Why do you do this?

Because it’s tradition.

But is it a tradition worth keeping?

Keeping the traditional party

Some believe that it is.

For one thing, it’s known that when people share a meal that it has a mysterious way of breaking down social barriers. It could be that that’s because we all have to eat; and so, no matter how lofty our status in the company, when we eat we are sharing in a common activity.

You’re also sharing time together. This may be less so at an office party, especially if it’s a stand-up affair where the usual cliques form. If, however, it’s a sit-down meal and someone has had the foresight to assign seats, then the opportunity is there for those who wouldn’t normally see one another to talk freely in a non-threatening environment. Of course, there will always be those who decide to move to another table, but in most cases, people will honour the seating arrangements. It’s bad form not to.

An unwanted gift

On the other hand, the traditional office party is falling out of fashion. We have become so busy that we value whatever spare time we have. We want to spend it with our families and the friends of our choosing.

When the typical sign-up sheet is posted asking that those who want to attend put their name on it, weeks can go by with no entries. Instead of attracting the attention of a party invitation, it takes on the importance of an office safety notice. No one wants to know and about as many cares. The subtle pressure that you feel to attend is more of an unwanted gift.

No doubt, you would like to spend the thirty, forty, or fifty pounds a head on something else: A date with your spouse or partner, a gift for a special person or yourself, or even a day out; certainly not to blow it on a Saturday evening with a group of people that you also happen to be with from Monday to Friday, nine to five.

And if you don’t have to pay for the party yourself, then you’d much rather see the money that will be spent on it divvied up and added to your Christmas bonus.

A compromise

The thing about having an office party at Christmas is that our pocketbooks as well as our diaries are already stretched.

The dark winter days don’t help either. Although only about six percent of people in the UK officially suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the lack of sunlight affects most people to some extent. A general malaise can set in. We want to do less and sleep more. People tend to gain weight during this time of year, too, and not just from the office party.

How could you improve the annual office party? How could you make it less frenetic and even less expensive?

One company routinely holds its party in the early summer. Although the weather can’t be guaranteed, you know that it will be warmer in June than in December. It also has dispensed with the sit-down meal. It found that this was something that people just didn’t want to do on a Saturday evening. Again, they wanted time with their families.

What do you suppose they did instead? They spent the day – during the week – on a 19^th century barge. The company paid for the trip, and those who wanted to go took a day of leave. The few that preferred to work had that choice.

What could you do?

What could you do in your company?

That really depends on where you live and how many of you there are. Barges are available for trips in East Anglia and hold anything from a dozen to about 20 people.

If this is not an option, then an exclusive day at a stately home might be an idea, with tea and scones in the afternoon.

You could think about offering a number of excursions, each of which would be limited to a certain number of people. Some could take a day trip to a famous garden, for example; others to a stately home; others on a narrowboat, and still others on a guided walk.

Use your imagination.

For the sake of your sanity and that of your colleagues, however, move the party away from Christmas. It will make life a lot easier for all of you.

If you need to improve employee engagement, staff alignment, motivation or teamwork then contact us via email for a free consultation