Like skirts, whose length is supposed to vary according to economic cycles, parties Christmas at the office have always been sensitive to fluctuations in the business world. Since teleworking emptied offices – and COVID-19 wrecked vacation plans – some companies have rethought their festivities: no more drunken evenings. Instead, a lunch in the conference room at 3 p.m., where we chat while sipping non-alcoholic cocktails.
At GrowthForce, an accounting firm in Houston, human resources decided this year to eliminate the traditional dance party at a golf club, complete with hors d’oeuvres, Christmas dinner, open bar and DJ for dancing. Instead, HR hosted an office dinner for all 50 employees, complete with a holiday-themed trivia game, a gift exchange, and even suggestions for community involvement. The party started at 11 a.m. Everything was packed up by 3 p.m. It also made it possible to reduce the budget for the festivities.
A party of accountants
In HR, we were exultant: “We saw team members talking to each other who didn’t mix before,” exclaims Gabriela Sanchez, head of HR at GrowthForce. “Before, people would come with their spouse and say, ‘Let’s just eat, drink and dance.’” »
For the most part, employees seem to agree, like Jamie Dailey, an accountant who has been with the company for nine years.
I don’t have to add any more time to my already busy day for this kind of party. For a lot of people it was, “Ugh, I have to go to party office after toiling all day.”
Accountant Jamie Dailey
But she adds: “I regret, perhaps, that we no longer see the spouses of colleagues. »
Since the pandemic, corporate caterers have noticed that many customers no longer want party of yesteryear: more and more, we prefer celebrations during the day, with little alcohol.
“Since COVID-19, afternoon parties have increased by 100%,” explains Min Brown, sales director at Yaymaker, an event organizer very active in tech and financial SMEs.
Party desk for young people who hate the office
With hybrid working, staff have become less inclined to go out in the evening. And people are drinking less: barely 40% of young Americans say they are regular drinkers (there are more regular drinkers among middle-aged Americans). Previously, the average young adult drank more than their elders, Gallup polls show. Waves of layoffs in the tech sector – more than 250,000 in 2023, according to the website Layoffs.fyi – have undoubtedly prompted companies to celebrate in a more reserved and frugal way.
The impact of the #metoo movement has also encouraged companies to create more responsible office celebrations in recent years, certain bosses point out.
In all offices of social media company Hootsuite, celebrations began at 4 p.m. to accommodate employees with children. We served sparkling wine – with or without alcohol.
It used to be the big party with beer on tap and a band, says Carol Waldmann, facilities and real estate manager, in Vancouver, where Hootsuite has its largest office. That’s no longer what many employees want, she said, adding that the new arrangement may have saved a little, even if that wasn’t the goal.
“Many of our employees have young children and family responsibilities. For them, going out all night is not really an option,” says Mme Waldmann, adding that daytime celebrations lend themselves less to excesses. “Alcohol is less present than before, which is a good thing from a well-being point of view and not having colleagues going wild on the dance floor with their ties around their heads. »
Teleparties for teleworkers
Since 2020, Hootsuite has also hosted virtual parties for remote workers on Teambuilding.com, with activities such as holiday-themed trivia games (senior executives have been invited to participate in these online meetings).
Google, whose parties pre-COVID-19 end-of-year celebrations were epic, is hosting team parties this year, with some smaller regional offices also hosting their own get-togethers. The company tries to avoid extravagance, says spokesman Ryan Lamont. Google has set out guidelines for organizing “inclusive events”: we suggest starting earlier in the day. Google parent company Alphabet cut 12,000 jobs in early 2023.
DoorDash, which cut 1,250 positions at the end of 2022, is organizing in its regional offices happy hours, which often start early (at 4:30 p.m. in San Francisco). There are also “WeDash” meetups where employees can compete for prizes, including a Vespa scooter. TV channel CNBC served mimosas during a quiet party in the morning, and another in the afternoon to accommodate its various teams.
Investment firm TIAA hosted a happy hour (which actually started at 4 p.m.) aptly named the Gratitude Meeting.
Of course, many businesses, even before the pandemic, avoided parties unbridled and very watered.
Roy Bahat, venture capital specialist at Bloomberg Beta, has been organizing a party called Startup Festivus since 2014 the first Friday in December from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., so people can go home and be with their families.
“We want end-of-year celebrations where, the following Monday, everyone shows up proud of their behavior,” says Mr. Bahat. Everyone has experienced parties end of year event where someone made a mistake and created a fuss. »
Of course, not everyone has given up parties unleashed from the good old days. Kerrie Shakespeare, an executive at home cleaning company O2E Brands, says her company hosted an afternoon party this year, instead of the party in the evening as in the past.
The verdict is clear: “Employees want party in the evening,” she said.
This article was published in the New York Times.