Downturn? Slump? Party on!

Gag gifts, time off and dirty bingo; workplace holiday traditions boost spirits

Beverly Brown has a plan in the works for this year's holiday party.

Who can blame her?

Last year, the spokeswoman for Cary software developer SAS was on the receiving end of a gag gift that shows up every year at her office party and white elephant present exchange.

"It's a ghastly snow globe," said Brown, who has kept the foot-tall object, which features what appears to be an angel that has crash-landed on a peasant's hut, under her credenza for the past year.

"I will wrap it up and hand it off to the lucky recipient," she said. "We try to disguise it. ... I might throw some rocks in so that it's heavy."

For employers, holiday traditions and seasonal perks -- cubicle decorations, gift exchanges, company parties and paid time off -- remain important ways to boost morale and bring workers together, particularly in uncertain economic times.

A survey of 100 human resource executives released in November by consulting firm Challenger Gray & Christmas of Chicago showed that 90 percent of companies plan to hold holiday parties this year, up from 79 percent in 2006.

Of those, nearly 40 percent said they plan to boost their budgets, said John Challenger, CEO of the global outplacement company.

"It's not what we would have expected with the negative news of the economy, the price of gas and mortgages adjusting upward," he said. "But for all that, companies seem to be blithely going forward with their plans to bring people together."

In addition, Challenger said, though the construction, automotive and real estate sectors continue to struggle, in many regions, 2007 has been a relatively strong year for companies in the energy, health care, professional services and technology industries, among others.

In the Triangle, the jobless rate remains one of the lowest in the country, at 3.8 percent.

"When unemployment is low, companies need to focus on investing in their culture and making it a place people want to stay because people do have opportunities," Challenger said. "The data show that is exactly what is happening out there."

For employees at Leone, Bender & Seate, a small law firm in North Raleigh, there will be a Christmas party at partner Beth Leone's home. The 15-person staff will also get a few days off and bonuses equal to a week's salary.

But Leone's favorite tradition is a reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," rewritten by her mother, office manager Cheryl Leone, to include employees and amusing things that happened during the year.

"It's the thing I look forward to most every year," Beth Leone said. "I would be so depressed if we didn't have that."

Local traditions

Some large employers, such as Progress Energy, the Raleigh utility that has more than 10,000 employees in the Carolinas and Florida, leave it up to their workers to decide what to do, location by location.

"Over the years, a number of departments and organizations have celebrated the holiday season by adopting families in need," spokesman David McNeill said.

Raleigh software company Red Hat also encourages charitable giving, participating in Toys for Tots. Last year, it encouraged employees to donate a grocery bag of nonperishable food as admission to the holiday party, spokeswoman Leigh Day said.

This year, Red Hat's party is scheduled for mid-December at the Progress Energy Center in Raleigh. For those who work in Red Hat's 52 satellite offices, the company allocates money so folks can do as they choose -- organize a party, have a dinner out or dole out gift cards.

Red Hat also gives its 500 local employees the holiday week off, a perk that allows the senior product marketing manager, Gerry Riveros, to travel each year.