'Tis the Season... For Corporate Holiday Parties
It's that time of year for corporations to invite everyone to the local hotel ballroom for the annual holiday bash. Human resources professionals will be sipping ginger ale, averting their eyes as their co-workers imbibe just a little too much. According to an article in USA Today, we have much to be thankful for and the trend this year is for more parties - apparently the economy has picked up enough to encourage us all to celebrate more than we have in the past few years when a poor economy put a damper on holiday engagements. While some organizations may be thinking of the bubbly, others (like me) will be thinking of the value to be obtained with holiday parties. Now, I'm not scrooge, but all too often I have attended holiday parties where it is literally the only event all year for the employees to get together. What happens? The CEO or senior officer dodges the microphone and misses the perfect opportunity to engage employees, acknowledge their contributions for the year and to set the stage for next year. Employees appreciate it, and it is often a rare opportunity for employees to mingle with senior executives and feel a part of the organization. So let's hope your CEO's will be using this opportunity to communicate and engage employees rather than dodging the microphone and running out of the ballroom after a brief 15 minute visit.
