More than 70 per cent of employers plan to hold a Christmas party for their employees this year.
And in a sign that employers are beginning to take the UK’s 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 are also taking 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 by Personnel Today’s sister publication IRS Employment Review.
Other -findings include:-
Nearly half (48 per cent) of all workplace Christmas parties will be organised by employers. In just over a quarter (29 per cent) of organisations, this work is shared between employer and employees, while employees take the lead in just over a fifth of organisations (21 per cent).
In the majority (61 per cent) of survey respondents, the employer pays the whole cost of the Christmas party, and in 23 per cent 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 is £30.
More than half (63 per cent) of employers report that their staff party will take place entirely outside working hours.
Less than a quarter (16 per cent) 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 per cent) plans to hold its Christmas party entirely during the working day.
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