Has your office Christmas party been cancelled this year?

-

Has your office Christmas party been cancelled this year?

Less than a fifth of UK companies are still planning on having a workplace Christmas party this year.

This was discovered by Protectivity, a provider of specialist insurance, who found that 15 per cent of companies still intend to have a Christmas party.

Today (18/09/20) Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London announced that London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

HRreview Logo

Get our essential weekday HR news and updates.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Keep up with the latest in HR...
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

 

Mr Khan said:

We simply can’t afford to have numbers of people congregating.

We are working on something people can enjoy in the comfort and safety of their living rooms on TV.

The Mayor of London did make it clear that another event is needed to replace the fireworks as they are a “really good opportunity for the rest of the world to see how wonderful our city is”.

Out of all the UK cities, Liverpool are the most willing to throw a Christmas party at 27 per cent, with Norwich coming in second at 21 per cent.

Edinburgh is the city least likely to throw a Christmas party at 6 per cent.

The two areas who have the most people planning on throwing a Christmas party is the finance and legal sectors at 22 per cent.

Manufacturing and utility workers are the most willing to return to the office at 41 per cent, arts and culture at 39 per cent and HR at 32 per cent.

There is a list of reasons why certain people do not want to return to the office. Almost a quarter (24 per cent) say they get distracted by their colleagues when they talk too much and 16 per cent said they do not miss people’s loud conversations. With 11 per cent said they have liked not hearing doors slamming whilst working at home and 10 per cent saying their colleagues eat and chew food in a very loud way.

Also, over a third (37 per cent) said they are not planning on attending work-related events in 2020.

Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.

Latest news

Sustainable business starts with people, not HR policies

Why long-term success depends on supporting employees, not just meeting ESG targets, with practical steps for leaders to build healthier organisations.

Hiring steadies but Gulf crisis threatens recovery in UK jobs market

UK hiring shows signs of stabilising, but rising global uncertainty linked to the Gulf crisis is weighing on employer confidence and delaying recovery.

Women ‘face career setback’ risk with flexible working

Female staff using remote or reduced-hour arrangements more likely to move into lower-status roles, raising concerns about bias in career progression.

Jo Kansagra: Make work benefits work for Gen Z

Gen Z employees are entering the workforce at full steam, and yet many workplace benefits schemes are firmly stuck in the past.
- Advertisement -

Union access plans risk straining workplace relations, CIPD warns

Proposed rules on workplace access raise concerns about employer readiness and operational strain.

Petra Wilton on managers struggling with new workplace laws

“Managers are not being given the tools they need to fully understand how the rules of the workplace are changing.”

Must read

The hidden impact of remote working on your employees’ wellbeing

Paul Rhodes explores the lesser known mental and physical effects of remote working.

Niki Fuchs: Support your employees’ mental health with these key changes to the workplace

"Stress and anxiety rank among the biggest drivers of workplace absences."
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you