63% said they don’t want a festive celebration at all – up 7% from last year More workers than ever (87%) would prefer a bonus or gift card over a party – up 5% from last year The personal cost of office Christmas parties has gone up by £4 to to £37 per person, not including a new outfit or hair/makeup/grooming Workers would prefer to spend time with their own family and friends as ‘free time is precious’ Work Christmas parties may soon be consigned to history as UK workers no longer want them, according to a new study.
A nationwide survey by gifting and reward experts Love2shop has found 87% of workers would choose a Christmas bonus or gift card over a staff party in 2024 – up 5% from 83% last year. September is the key time of year of HR leaders to book and organise the annual festive celebration, but astonishingly only 8% of Brits would actually choose to have a work Christmas party at all, according to the poll.
Love2shop first investigated the state of British workplace Christmas parties in 2023 and already there is a clear trend that the traditional works ‘do’ is facing extinction as even more workers wish to see the end of them. In this year’s study, when asked if they wanted any kind of work celebration at all 63% of workers said no, they didn’t – a 7% increase on the previous year.
The biggest turn-off this year is awkward small talk, with half of Brits stating that having to chat to colleagues was the thing they hated most. Drunken co-workers being annoying remains the second biggest issue for people, remaining unchanged year-on-year at 36%. That’s a lot of potential irritation when 80% of Christmas parties involve alcohol.
Despite the decline in popularity of work Christmas parties, some employers continue to ask workers to contribute to them – despite the taxman allowing them to spend £150 per head tax-free on a celebration. When asked, 46% of workers told us that for their last Christmas party they had to contribute on average £37 – four pounds more than the previous year. On top of that there was the cost of outfits, transport and – in some cases – accommodation all of which has also increased in price.
Of the 87% who would prefer a bonus, 16% would choose a gift card with the average value they could spend expected to be £110. Replacing a party with a gift is easier for employers too. HMRC actually allows businesses to give each employee a non-cash gift up to the value of £50 with no paperwork, no National Insurance contribution and no tax. It’s called the Trivial Benefits provision, and Love2shop has launched a handy calculator to show you how much your business could save in tax by giving gift cards at Christmas instead of cash or other taxable bonuses.
“Last year we saw the decline in popularity of workplace Christmas parties,” said Frank Creighton, Director of Business Development for Love2shop. “The truth is they briefly bounced back after Covid but people’s attitudes are rapidly changing. The cost of living challenges facing everyone are a big part of that, but also people have become more protective of their time.
“They want to celebrate with family and friends, not their work colleagues – who they may only share a few days a week in the office with anyway. “If employers give something, it needs to be something meaningful. Gift cards and bonuses help people to make their own Christmas special and ease their worries about paying for the festive season.
“A gesture like that will earn employers a lot more loyalty and positivity from their staff than laying on a Christmas party they don’t really want that adds extra cost at an expensive time of year.” Love2shop offers a range of physical and digital gift cards that can be used with more than 150 high street and online brands. You can even personalise them with your own business Christmas branding. Visit business.love2shop.co.uk to see the full range.
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