Corporate Party Zones Heating Up for the Holidays

Party On: ’Tis the season for holiday parties and as is typical this time of year, numerous groups are studying the issue of corporate parties. Executive search company Battalia Winston of New York says 9 percent fewer organizations will have formal holiday celebrations in 2007 than last year, with 85 percent expected to do so. Perhaps out of legal concerns, companies are moving largely toward alcohol-free events, with 70 percent saying they will allow imbibing—a drop of 15 percentage points from 2006.

Meanwhile, a survey by Menlo Park, California-based staffing firm OfficeTeam found that nearly 60 percent of workers plan to take extra days off for the holidays beyond the normal company-provided time for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. About one-quarter of workers are eyeing holiday vacations of a week or longer.