Ho! Ho! Ho?  No No No! Motivation and the Xmas Party

Bah humbug! Scrooge is alive and well - he is working in senior management for over half of the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses. A festive press release from Sage Accounting has reached me which reports that less than half of UK firms are planning on holding a Christmas party this festive season, despite a widespread recognition of the boost for staff morale they can provide.

The Sage UK Omnibus surveyed 1,000 SME’s from its 800,000 strong customer base and discovered that the number of companies holding a staff party has fallen from last year, when 48% threw a staff Christmas party. Of those planning on holding one, the average cost per head will be between £30 and £39.

“Despite widespread understanding of the importance of staff parties, it’s clear from our research that with budgets under increased pressure and organisations continuing to keep an eye on their purse strings, Christmas parties are seen as a ‘nice to have’ option for many firms,” said Leisa Docherty from Sage UK. “However, with staff under increased pressure, taking the time to celebrate the successes of the year is invaluable. Companies planning to not party as a team this festive season should try and reconsider, even low key events are invaluable for boosting staff morale.”

Of course most of those same firms will be happy for their staff to work their butts off to meet a seasonal increase in demand to help the firm keep its head above water in tough economic conditions. So why shouldn’t staff be allowed to celebrate the festive season with a workplace party?

I’m pleased that tutor2u will be bucking this trend towards stinginess. We’ll be back to our favourite restaurant for the Christmas lunch; followed by a festive day in the village wine-bar. And its mince pies every day in the office from now until Christmas Eve. Ho ho ho!