To party or not to party? The pros and cons of an organised staff Christmas party in 2021

It’s a tough one, for sure. Our team have been asking whether we’re having a party this year since July (hey, that’s early for our guys, they like a party) and we’ve been prevaricating since. So, short of adopting a policy of staff welfare determined by a coin flip, we made a list of pros and cons. Hope they help you navigate the decision, unless of course you actually did book yours in July!

Pros:

It’s been a hellish couple of years and a knees up would be nice. Nobody could ever have anticipated the impact of Covid, in terms of massive changes to business and the impact on mental health. Listening to Roger from IT telling you that it was actually him that invented Angry Birds may not be your idea of fun, but it’s not just about you, is it? The team have been absolute troopers and deserve an Olympian scale hangover on us.

They’re all doing it anyway. Let’s be honest: if you have any staff members under the age of eighty, chances are they will have been socialising in pubs and clubs. Even the most cautious will at least have popped out for a cheeky Nandos during the past eighteen months. And this is going to hurt, but, just because they don’t invite you along doesn’t mean they’re not having nights out together, just like you’re arranging a select little lunch where you can’t easily be found…

It shows you’re still in the game. Hearing news about businesses folding through no fault of their own, furlough propping up the nation and supply chain issues doing their damndest to cancel Christmas for their kids, now might be a good time to demonstrate that their jobs are safe and you can still afford a burger for them at the local Spoons.?

Cons:

Is it really the responsible thing to do? Your colleagues going out and catching the virus is one thing, but you actively creating your own corporate Virus Breeding Programme might well strike you as another. After all, most of us have staff smoking shelters but we don’t buy them fags. Ultimately, could you arguably be culpable, at least morally, if you put them in danger?

One goes down with it, they all go down with it. I’m not judging, not at all, but I do have distant memories of staff parties and social distancing was never high up on the agenda. You may have got your business back on track, but how will it look with only you and Pam, who wears a full biohazard suit to the office and chooses not to attend company events, running the show????

It’s nearly November and you’ve still not decided. This was a big one for us. We’ve procrastinated for so long, all the decent do’s at the rugby stadium are booked and we’re left with either the pub that once let us use their car park (we didn’t ask again) or a questionable buffet and wine from a carton in the offices. The very thought of baking 100 sausage rolls with gloves on and deep-cleaning the photocopier the next day has given us pause for thought.

Our conclusion? We’re putting it to the vote. Good luck with your plans and for heaven’s sake, make sure you gel absolutely everything.?