Happy Days Are Here Again: 2013 Battalia Winston, Executive Search Firm's Annual Survey Finds Corporate Holiday Parties Are Near an All-Time High

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Nov 25, 2013, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- More companies will return to their tradition of holding holiday parties this year, according to the 25^th annual survey of corporate America's holiday party plans conducted by Battalia Winston, a leading global executive search firm.

An astonishing 96 percent of the companies polled will have parties this year – this is the highest percentage since 1997 – up from 91 percent in 2012, 74 percent in 2011, 79 percent in 2010, 81 percent in 2009 & 81 percent in 2008.

Holiday parties were held by 95 percent of companies in 1988, the first year of the survey, & an all-time high of 97 percent was recorded in 1996 & in 1997, all years when the economy was robust.

"The Battalia Winston survey has served as a bellwether for the economy over the past 25 years, and this year is no exception," said Dale Winston, Battalia Winston's Chairwoman & CEO.

"Our findings reflect an increasing confidence in the economy. Although only 6 percent of those having parties are having more lavish events. The parties are back but the champagne and caviar are no longer flowing," said Winston.

2013 Survey Findings:

2014 Planning: As companies make plans for 2014, almost three quarters (70 percent) of respondents say they're on track to "grow & hire" next year – up from 66 percent in 2012; less than a quarter (18 percent) expect their company's performance will stay the same as 2013. Only 6 percent are uncertain & 6 percent are planning to consolidate.
What's the reason this season? Nearly half (42 percent) are having holiday parties to boost employee morale, while slightly more than a third (38 percent) are holding a party to celebrate 2013 as a good year, & 7 percent to show employees & clients that they are optimistic about next year. 16 percent of companies selected "other" and indicated that they would be staying true to "tradition", for the obvious reason of simply "celebrating the holidays", and some even confidently said because they "persevered".
Why no celebration? Of the 4 percent of companies not holding a holiday party this year, half (50 percent) said that it's just not in the budget this year and the other half (50 percent) said that they felt it was "politically inappropriate".
Who's invited? A majority (76 percent) of the parties will be for employees only, while 18 percent will be held for both employees & their families.
The budget: A majority of the parties (83 percent) said that their party will be the same as previous years, 10 percent will be more modest and 7 percent will be more lavish.
When & where? Of the companies holding parties, slightly less than half (43 percent) will be held in the evening & 47 percent will be at lunch. The trend towards daytime parties continues.
Drink up -- if you can: Drinks will be served at most (72 percent) parties, but some are staying dry (28 percent) and will be alcohol-free.
Tis the season to be generous: Slightly more than half (54 percent) of the companies are donating money or goods (up from 51 percent last year, 39 percent in 2011, 47 percent in 2010, & 66 percent in 2009), employees at 15 percent of the firms will be doing volunteer work. 23 percent of the companies aren't involved in holiday charitable activities.
Employee morale is still important: A majority (66 percent) of companies are taking steps to boost employee morale for the year to come (e.g. flexible work schedules, performance incentives, pay raises, team building/training, etc.), leaving only 17 percent of companies that have no such plans. 17 percent were unsure.

Are corporate holiday parties coming back to state of normalcy? "We believe this year's results reflect stability," said Winston. "We hope this indicates increased confidence and perhaps at some point we might even 'pop the bubbly' again."

The 2013 Battalia Winston nationwide survey was conducted among a cross-section of 100 companies.

About Battalia Winston:

Battalia Winston has been successfully meeting client needs in executive recruitment for 50 years & is currently ranked as one of the nation's 20 largest retained executive search firms, as well as one of the world's largest woman-owned search firms. Headquartered in New York City, the firm also has offices in New Jersey, Boston, Washington, D.C., Denver, Los Angeles & Chicago. Battalia Winston is an agile & uniquely flexible firm & their culture is focused on providing highly personalized, responsive client service.

More information: http://www.battaliawinston.com

SOURCE Battalia Winston