Holiday Party Planning

If you've been tagged with the responsibility for planning your firm or organization's upcoming holiday party, I don't envy you. Having been raised in a large family, I know with absolute certainty that it's virtually impossible to please every member of a group much larger than three. If you're stuck with the responsibility for ensuring all halls are appropriately decked, right now you probably feel thoroughly besieged. You must contend with those who demand that any holiday get together reflect our increasingly multi-cultural world as well as those who complain that political correctness shouldn't keep us from wishing one another "Merry Christmas!"

It turns out that several of our clients have opted to address competing concerns by simply eliminating holiday events all together. Rather than trying to cram yet one more event into December, some schedule their annual get togethers early in the New Year. We even have one CA client that schedules its largest firm-wide celebration in conjunction with Cinco de Mayo. Moving the annual office bash to another season presents the advantage of scratching one event from their employees' otherwise hectic holiday calendars. 

However, if you're stuck, you're stuck. How can you best avoid holiday party disputes? How about by asking your co-workers some important questions, including:

1.  How do you wish to celebrate the year-end holiday? I guarantee you will not receive uniform responses to this question. However, the mere fact that you ask will limit the likelihood that co-workers feel another's viewpoint has been imposed upon them.

2.  Should spouses/partners be invited? Be aware that some will view the invitation of a spouse or partner as a pleasant excuse for a holiday date while others will see the exact same invitation in terms of their need to hire a pricey baby sitter.

3.  What sort of entertainment do you prefer? Take the time to confirm whether attendees wish to mingle, participate in games or be entertained?

Finally, if you are responsible for a holiday event, make sure you don't have to live with the repercussions of someone who decides to engage in extreme party behavior. Throughout the event, keep your eyes on alcohol consumption and pre-arrange taxi vouchers and/or designated drivers.
 

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