The changing face of Christmas

More than seven out of ten employers (72%) report that they will hold a Christmas party for their employees this year. And in a sign that employers are beginning to take Britainís multicultural workforce seriously, some report that they also organise events or allow time off for employees wanting to celebrate other festivals, such as Diwali.

An increasing number of employers also take their commitment to staff safety seriously, offering guidance on acceptable standards of behaviour and organising transport home or even hotel accommodation after the celebrations, according to research released today (24 September 2004) by IRS Employment Review, published by LexisNexis.

Specialist journal IRS Employment Review surveyed 124 private and public sector organisations to establish how UK employers handle the operational aspects of running operations during the holiday period, as well as the more festive arrangements that many employers choose to put in place at this time of year.

And it asks whether, with new legislation in place to protect an increasingly diverse workforce, the traditional Christmas parties and festive gifts/bonuses could soon to be things of the past.

The full survey, published three months ahead of Christmas to help employers plan their own arrangements, is available in the new issue (808) of IRS Employment Review (www.irsemploymentreview.com).

Key findings include:

Nearly half (48%) of all workplace Christmas parties will be organised by employers. In just over a quarter (29%) of organisations, this work is shared between employer and employees, while employees take the lead in just over a fifth of organizations (21%).

In the majority (61%) of survey respondents, the employer pays the whole cost of the Christmas party, and in 23% there is some form of employer subsidy.

For those employers who do subsidise their staff festivities, there is a wide range from 10 or 15 a head up to 120. The median figure - the midpoint in the range of subsidies reported by our respondents - is 30.

More than half (63%) of employers report that their staff party will take place entirely outside working hours.

Less than a quarter (16%) of employers surveyed believe that the party begins during working hours but continues after employees would normally stop for the day. Just one organisation in five (21%) plans to hold its Christmas party entirely during the working day.

A substantial minority (28%) of employers has a policy setting out the standard of acceptable behaviour expected of employees. Even those employers who do not have such a policy remind their staff about their responsibilities under general codes of behaviour and conduct backed up by disciplinary procedures.

87% of respondent organisations have a departmental or team meal. In most cases (70%) Christmas meals are organised by the workers concerned.

Employers are less likely to pay for (13%) or subsidise (22%) a staff Christmas meal. Almost two thirds of organisations (65%) leave their staff to foot the bill. The lowest subsidy was 3 while the highest was 80. The median figure was 20.

Most employees no longer look forward to receiving a Christmas bonus. Just under one in four (24%) employers offer additional payment at this time of year.

Just under one-third (30%) of organisations surveyed give non-cash gifts to employees at Christmas. These still include: turkeys, hampers, bottles of wine, vouchers, household and electrical goods

The majority of employers say they will spend about the same this year as last on their Christmas celebrations.

Few organisations (14%) have formal provisions to allow employees to opt out of Christmas celebrations, although one in three would make provision for members of non-Christian faiths to mark religious festivals. Most respondents who went on to give further information said that staff could apply for annual leave ìin the usual wayî for this purpose.


IRS Employment Review managing editor, Mark Crail said:

ìChristmas has become more complex than ever, raising questions for employers about staffing levels during the break, appropriate gifts or bonuses for staff, whether to offer a party or a team meal, subsidies for social events and what sort of alternative arrangements to make for staff who do not celebrate Christmas.

The increasingly 24/7 nature of service industries in particular means that more people now have to work over Christmas - for example, in call centres for banks, utilities and holiday companies. And even the celebrations can be a minefield - with tax consequences if the celebrations are too lavish or Christmas gifts too generous.

Managers also have to be aware of the sensibilities of staff who do not wish to celebrate Christmas. This is particularly important now that discrimination on grounds of religion or belief has been outlawed, but is also a matter of good employee relations. No-one wants to look like Scrooge at this time of year, but it is becoming increasingly important to be sensitive to peopleís wishes.î