‘Tis the season: enhancing the workplace holiday party
| Date | 28 July 2023 |
| Pages | 1324-1346 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-09-2022-0452 |
| Published date | 28 July 2023 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
| Author | Michael Tews,John Michel,Ethan Kudler,Sydney Pons |
‘Tis the season: enhancing the
workplace holiday party
Michael Tews
School of Hospitality Management, Penn State University, University Park,
Pennsylvania, USA
John Michel
Sellinger School of Business and Management, Loyola University Maryland,
Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and
Ethan Kudler and Sydney Pons
School of Hospitality Management, Penn State University, University Park,
Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract
Purpose–The annual holiday party is a long-standing tradition in many organizations, yet academic research
has largely left the holiday party unexamined. The present study sheds light on this significant social event by
exploring what factors help differentiate successful events from less successful ones.
Design/methodology/approach –First, the authors developed a taxonomy of characteristics of good
holiday parties using a critical incident technique in which stories of holiday party experiences were analyzed
following a mixed-method approach. Second, the authors quantitatively examined the relationships between
these characteristics and three outcomes, including perceived organizational support, positive interpersonal
interactions, and experienced fun.
Findings –The critical incident analysis revealed 11 key characteristics that distinguish good from bad
holiday parties. Primary findings from the quantitative study are that games and activities, music, good food,
and notable positive leader behavior are key characteristics of more successful events.
Research limitations/implications –As the data were obtained using a traditional survey methodology,
furtherr esearch would be valuable that adopts an experience sampling methodology to capture employee experiences,
perceptions, and feelings about holiday parties in real-time before, during, and after an event has occurred.
Practical implications –From an event planning standpoint, this research provides a framework for
designing holiday parties and provides evidence as to which features matter most. From a strategic leadership
perspective, this research signals that different features of holiday parties can influence different outcomes.
Originality/value –Beyond merely identifying importantcharacteristics,this research providesa framework
for furtherresearch on holiday partiesand identifies theoriesthat can be used in future research to explorethe
mechanisms that influence how and under what conditions holiday parties impact employees’experiences at work.
Keywords Workplace holiday party, Christmas, Fun in the workplace
Paper type Research paper
The holiday party is arguably one of organizations’most significant annual social events in
Western culture. In the US, for example, it is estimated that 76% of organizations sponsor annual
holiday parties for their employees (Cerullo, 2019;Elsesser, 2019). Perhaps not surprisingly, the
popularity of holiday parties is due to their proximity to Christmas, arguablythe dominant holiday
in Western culture. Widespread engagement in Christmas celebrations is rooted in dual religious
andseculartraditions,whichcanbetracedbackcenturies,withtheearliestdocumentationof
festivities in 336 AD (Miles, 1976;Miller, 2017). Christmas represents the celebration of both the
birth of Christ in Christian traditions, as well as customs surrounding the winter solstice, such as
lighting the darkest time of the year, rest after the harvest, community gatherings, and feasts
(Forbes, 2007;Thomas, 2019). Given the importance of the Christmas season in society and the
traditional ritual of workplace holiday parties, there is likely widespread expectation that
organizations will have a role in employee celebration of the holiday season.
ER
45,6
1324
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0142-5455.htm
Received 28 September 2022
Revised 22 March 2023
11 June 2023
6 July 2023
Accepted 6 July 2023
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 45 No. 6, 2023
pp. 1324-1346
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-09-2022-0452
The holiday party provides a unique opportunity for organizations to show their
appreciation for employees and to foster a sense of community and shared purpose.
Similar to other forms of fun in the workplace, holiday parties may provide an opportunity
for employees to relax and socialize with their colleagues outside of the usual work
context, helping to build stronger relationships and a more cohesive team (Rippin, 2011;
Tews et al., 2014). Another way that holiday parties can be important in the workplace is
by fostering a sense of appreciation and gratitude. As the year draws to a close, it is a
natural time to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and express appreciation for
employees’hard work and dedication (Roulet, 2021). In this light, the holiday party can
help build a culture of recognition and engagement, where employees feel valued and
motivated to continue making meaningful contributions to the organization. Moreover,
the holiday party may signal an organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity
by recognizing and honoring different traditions and beliefs. While the holiday party has
traditionally focused on Christmas, it is also an opportunity to recognize and celebrate
other holidays such as Hanukkah, Yule/Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, and New Year (Fisher
Phillips, 2022)[1].
Despite the ubiquity of holiday parties, holiday parties may not be fully embraced or well
designed and executed. For example, not everyone may value Christmas or the holiday
season, and not everyone may value fun social activities at work (Baptiste, 2009;Bolton and
Houlihan, 2009;Fleming, 2005;Fleming and Sturdy, 2009). Holiday parties will likely endure
over time, like many rituals. Nevertheless, as society and organizations evolve, it becomes
necessary to determine what constitutes a successful holiday party in modern organizations.
With few exceptions (e.g. Hidegh and Primecz, 2019;Rosen, 1988;Zacher, 2023), research on
Christmas and the holidays has been scant. Hancock (2016) and Hancock and Rehn (2011)
lament this lack of research, given the cultural and economic importance of the holiday and
the season.
The present study’s overarching purpose is to better understand the attributes that
characterize good holiday parties from an employee perspective. First, we developed a
taxonomy of characteristics of good holiday parties using a critical incident technique in
which stories of holiday party experiences were analyzed following a mixed-method
approach. Second, we quantitatively examined relationships between these
characteristics and three meaningful outcomes, namely, perceived organizational
support, positive interpersonal interactions, and experienced fun. While a holiday party
is of relatively short duration, such events are significant and embody meaning (Trice and
Beyer, 1984). Thus, research is needed to identify features of holiday parties that would
make them enjoyable and worth the commitment of an organization’s investment.
Ultimately, this research is intended to complement previous accounts of holiday parties,
extend fun in the workplace literature, and provide evidence-based prescriptions for
applied practice.
Background and context
In the context of extant empirical research, the holiday party can be subsumed under the
umbrella of fun in the workplace. Formally speaking, fun in the workplace refers to features
or characteristics of the work environment of a social, playful, and humorous nature that have
the potential to enhance feelings of enjoyment, amusement, and lighthearted pleasure (Michel
et al., 2019). In their review of the fun literature, Michel et al. (2019) highlighted different facets
of the work environment that can be subsumed under the broad construct of fun in the
workplace: fun job responsibilities, coworker socializing, manager support for fun, and fun
activities. Fun activities, of which holiday parties are an example, relate to group social
activities for employees inside or outside the formal workplace, during regular work hours,
Workplace
holiday party
1325
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