Summer is long gone (not that it ever arrived in the UK!) and we're well into the grip of Autumn weather. The nights are closing in and the Christmas items are already in the shops (they get earlier every year, don't they?).
That brings us to the focus on Christmas and the tradition of work Christmas parties in the UK.
The years when every company had an internal Christmas party have long gone, but they're still a staple part of work culture in the UK in many companies. Is yours one that holds a party without fail every Christmas?
We've collated a mass of data and statistics around Christmas parties to look at what happens at them and much more!
How many businesses in the UK have a Christmas party?
Almost half of all UK companies will not be having a Christmas party in 2024. The exact figure is 47%. A lot of the companies not having a party said they couldn't afford to pay for one and staff couldn't afford to contribute.
There are some other reasons cited for not having a party.
20% of companies were concerned about staff drinking and potential HR issues that could arise from it.
35% said that they had policies in place around the behaviour of staff at "out of work functions" and that these had made them decide not to proceed (not necessarily related to drinking, but other possible HR issues that might arise).
What types of concerns did many of these companies have aside from drinking?
Two reasons that many companies gave were "improper conduct risk" and "inappropriate sexual advances risk". We'll say no more!
5% of companies that were going ahead with a party have decided it will be alcohol free. This is a rising trend as 31% of companies said they'd consider making Christmas parties alcohol free in future.
That said, only 16% of employers had concerns about drinking at the party they were planning, believing they could trust their staff to control their intake.
If you're reading this and thinking that what goes on at a Christmas party should have nothing to do with your position as an employee, think again. Under UK Employment Law, Christmas parties are considered an "extension of the workplace" if the party was organised by the company, and most of the normal policies around conduct can be applied.
Do staff want a Christmas party?
Things get intriguing when you look at whether or not staff actually want a Christmas party at all.
Only 40% of staff are in favour of a Christmas party in 2024. You'll see later in this article that the number that attend parties is higher, but you can conclude that some of those feel under pressure to attend.
Half of staff would prefer to see the company make a donation to a charity instead, whilst the same number said they'd be in favour of a lower cost Christmas party with some of the originally planned funds going to charity.
There is a noticeable split in the age groups of staff that would prefer money to go to charity, and it might surprise you to see:
Age range 16-34 - 57% would prefer money going to charity
Age range 35-75 - 44% would prefer money going to charity
How many people go to the average work Christmas party?
We like this statistic! The reason is because it tells you a huge amount about the size of company that holds firm with the Christmas party tradition. Believe it or not, the average number of people that go to a work Christmas party is just 16.
If you stop to think about that for a moment, it shouldn't come as a surprise. A lot of the UK economy comes from small to medium sized businesses - far more than from large or multi-national companies.
You also tend to find that working relationships and friendships are closer in small companies, so it could be a factor in them opting to go ahead with a Christmas party. Many larger companies have withdrawn from the tradition because of some of the HR issues that can arise from company parties, particularly with the reputation Christmas parties gained in the UK in the past!
How much does the average Christmas party cost?
In terms of cost, the average amount spent per person by companies in the UK is £72. We were rather surprised at that. When you consider it is just the average amount, there must be a lot of companies spending a lot on staff Christmas parties!
The lowest amount spent per head is approximately £30. They go to McDonald's and whack a sparkler in a Big Mac.
However, the cost of living crisis and the rising prices of almost everything in the UK has seen the cost per person go up by an incredible 38% since 2023! Yes, a year ago the average price was just £52.
Do companies pay for the Christmas party?
The number of companies that pay for the Christmas party in full has dropped. It now stands at just 40%. However, 46% of employers cover some of the costs, but still expect employees to chip in.
Only 14% of companies make no contribution to the work Christmas party - even if they organise it!
There are some interesting regional differences when it comes to the generosity of companies.
London based businesses are the most charitable, with 60% of them paying for the party in full. The next most generous region is our home - the North East of England, where 50% of companies pay for the Christmas bash.
The region where companies were least likely to pay for the party is Wales.
How many employees go to work Christmas parties?
This is where there has been a huge change in the last 30 years. Only 47% of staff attend work Christmas parties. This has dropped from a staggering 88% of staff in the early 1990's.
Are they party poopers? Well, no, they're not. Times have changed and there are some understandable factors that are a lot more pressing today than they were many years ago.
One of the biggest factors is cost. 30 years ago, when most companies paid for the Christmas party in full, it was never something staff had to take in account.
Work/life pressures have increased and a lot of people want to spend what time they have with their family at home. Others said that they simply didn't feel like socialising with their boss or others at the company.
A significant proportion of people said they felt they should be given the option of going or receiving a 'cash' Christmas gift from the company. There were also responses that said they knew colleagues would have too much to drink and didn't want to be around them when they did.
Are you going to a work Christmas party?
We'd love to hear from you if you're going to a Christmas party with work colleagues, and we'd equally like to see your comments if you're not going.
What have you seen at a Christmas party?
We'd also like to hear from you if you've got any horror stories from Christmas parties! Let us know in the comments and if what you witnessed has changed your attitude to them!
p.s. if you are having a party, and you've never seen our 360 Orb Air photo booth, it is fantastic fun at a Christmas party!
