As we approach the holiday season, often awash with vacation parties, it got me considering how staff are rewarded. Definitely one of the chief reasons for hosting a company holiday party is to reward staff for their tough work and dedication, and there might be finance reasons as well.&nbsp ;

a vacation party does something else too. It creates a space for employees and management to get together not as employees, but as friends. It provides an opportunity for people to come together and enjoy the company of the people you’re employed with without being worried about the final analysis, which is something that won’t happen much throughout the year. Sure there could be financial benefits ( see the article linked above ), but this is essentially achieved by creating a touch of goodwill that goes a ways. It lets your employees know that you place a value on them and their work. So when I see that firms are deciding against doing a party because of the economy I fret about the message this sends to&nbsp ; workers, lots of whom possibly anticipate and expect some variety of year end party. When times are difficult, which definitely is the case in numerous industries, it’s particularly necessary to show employees you care.

If you usually do an extravagant party, of course it’s comprehensible that you’d cut back a bit, but do not get rid of the party altogether. Do it smaller, easier and smarter. You can change the scale without destroying the event. If you routinely hire a celebrity comic, for example, think about using talent locally. If you typically do an indulgent meal, do a smorgasboard, or even a potluck. My point is do something. If you can afford to use vacation party entertainment, I’d definitely commend it. Using a corporate comedian is a good way to get peoples’s minds off the economy for 45-60 mins and it gives your visitors a typical experience to chat ( and joke ) about for months to come and leaves everybody feeling slightly better ( nicely timed for the holidays ).

You can read more about holiday party planning here: http://www.partyplanninghelp-mark.com/holiday-party-planning/