WASHINGTON — With the Great Recession in the rearview mirror, companies are willing to spend a little more on holiday parties again.
D.C. ranks No. 5 on a list of most extravagant holiday office parties, according to a survey of office workers in 27 U.S. cities by placement firm OfficeTeam. But many employees don’t think the parties are all that fun.
While D.C. also ranks No. 5 on the OfficeTeam survey list for “most fun” holiday parties, the nationwide survey found only 36 percent of professionals describe holiday office parties as entertaining. And 35 percent give the events a straight out thumbs-down.
Many feel they have to show up, with 28 percent of those surveyed describing the year-end bashes as obligatory. Almost half (47 percent) think the office holiday party is optional.
Brandi Britton, a district president for OfficeTeam, advises workers not to skip out too fast.
“A holiday party is a time to build camaraderie with co-workers and visibility with executives you may otherwise not typically have exposure to,” Britton said. “Getting to know people on a more personal level can also make work more fun.”
The OfficeTeam survey included responses from more than 2,700 workers employed in office environments.
Minneapolis topped the list of cities where office workers consider their holiday party the “least fun.”
New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco topped the list for “most fun” and for “most extravagant.”
Des Moines office workers ranked their holiday parties as the “least extravagant.”
