Dive Brief:

• While a majority of organizations will toast their employees with a holiday or end-of-year party, a growing number of employers are saying "no, no, no" -- not "ho ho ho" -- when it comes to the annual holiday party, according to a recent poll.
• The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that almost two-thirds (65%) of of 385 randomly selected HR professionals said their organizations would host a party for all employees. But 30% of respondents said no party was planned at their organization, an increase of 13 percentage points from 2012.
• Some party-goers will see larger spreads, as 45% of those planning a party have a budget larger than five years ago. As for the merriment, 67% said their party would be off-site and 22% said they would close early on party day -- 10 percentage points higher than in 2012. More than one-half (59%) said alcohol would be served at the party and 46% said prizes would be given to random employees.

Dive Insight:

“The outlook for holiday cheer is promising,” said Evren Esen, director of survey programs at SHRM. “But for some organizations, parties are a thing of the past. They may have been cut initially because of tough financial times during the recession or because of other reasons. But the fact is that more organizations are saying they are not having parties than in the past.”

In related holiday findings, SHRM reports that 55% said their organization allowed employees to shop online during lunch and breaks in preparation for the holidays, and 13% said personal online shopping was allowed as long as the employee was on schedule with his work. About one-third (32%) said shopping online at work was a no-no.

The survey, conducted in October, also found that 82% said their organization would participate in charitable donations and drives, an increase from 74% percent in 2012, and 23% said their organizations would give nonperformance-based gifts to all employees at the end of the year, a decrease from 32% in 2013.

If you are throwing a party, we have tips to ensure it is compliant and fun.