Christmas is here again and the IT world is still in existence. You
might think that is reason enough to celebrate, yet many companies
are abandoning seasonal festivities - which might please
accountants, but not hard-working staff
A Christmas party is a marvellous opportunity to mark another year
in business and a good way of checking who is still around, getting
managers and workers together to swap stories and count each
other's wounds. So the Christmas party is not just an annual event,
it is a way of allowing people who have worked hard all year to
enjoy themselves.
But employers have started to use a long-standing Inland Revenue
statute limiting tax-free spending per head on Christmas parties to
£75. That might seem a lot, but it covers transport and
accommodation as well as the cost of the party itself.
Worse, accountants seem to be using this statute to clamp down on
staff having a ball. "It's always been there, but people have
ignored it. It seems that this year, companies are using it as an
excuse to not spend as much on parties. They have to be seen to be
not spending that much," says Rachel Ollis, director of Mask
Entertainment.
Companies are therefore having to choose between a mince pie around
the photocopier - which is the deadbeat option - and a cabaret with
fire-eaters, magicians and live bands, which is more like it, even
with further fire brigade strikes likely.
Most vendors are choosing to postpone or cancel parties. Even
Vodafone, which has had a relatively successful year, is putting
off celebrations until the spring. Sun Microsystems' response to
the question of whether it is having a Christmas party this year is
all too typical. "IT is not an industry that should be having
lavish parties," says a spokesman. Cisco isn't having one,
Microsoft is and IBM had no comment. This is all a far cry from the
days of the IT boom when companies were vying with each other to
see how imaginative they could be in rewarding their staff. They
were flying them off to Lapland to party in Santa's homeland and
taking them on expenses paid trips to exotic beach locations to sip
pina coladas on the sand.
It is clear that a year of the 'war on terrorism' and the recession
have given the IT world a mauling. Not only is the industry having
to deal with a downturn, but the threat of terrorism after the Bali
bombing makes exotic locations look suspect, whether the cash is
there or not.
And donning a grass skirt on a cold December evening to sashay
around the boardroom, drinking warm white wine from a paper cup,
doesn't have the same atmosphere.
Ding-dong merrily on high
Happily, for every example of
a chilly reception for Christmas parties, there is a cheerful one.
AOL UK is acclaiming its two millionth customer by rewarding its
400 staff with a Bollywood experience. The party will be held at a
huge venue in London's Shepherds Bush and is organised through
entertainment company Peters and Beach. Staff can dress how they
want to, but are being encouraged to enter into the spirit of the
liveliness, freshness, colour and joy of Bollywood.
"Members of staff have offered to give us some lessons in Indian
dancing," reveals head of corporate events Rachel O'Neill. She is
determined to not let the £75 Inland Revenue limit deter her from
appreciating the achievements of her staff.
"We're providing the extra money," she says. And it is that
enthusiastic investment of goodwill in the hard work of staff that
deserves applause.
Meanwhile, BT, which has launched its broadband service to
widespread acclaim, is spending £10 a head over the limit on its
Christmas party for 105,000 employees. This is a way of showing
staff that they belong to a company that has not only survived
difficult times, but is confident of going places in future.
Fujitsu Services is staging a number of different types of
celebration for its 9,000 staff. This time last year, it embarked
on a round of redundancies, so this year, the company is determined
to show the world it is still here.
"Everyone in the company will go to at least one party at some
point over Christmas," says a spokesman.
He adds that the company is optimistic about the new year following
recent restructuring: "We are looking forward as opposed to looking
back."
Don't overdo it
Of course, companies can be too enthusiastic about entertainment
and IT employees like to do their own thing without being told how
to do it. Take, for example, a recent story on the Internet about a
young IT employee who fell out with his female manager after she
threatened to make his life hell if he didn't become a sumo
wrestler for a party. It was made clear to him that he wasn't a
team player if he didn't do as he was told. He left the
company.
Managers have power over employees and sometimes, at events like a
Christmas party, they can abuse that power - especially in the
current climate, where so many people are losing their jobs.
At least look happy
2003 will be a defining year for
the IT industry. It will provide the opportunity for the market to
demonstrate that it can put the recession behind it and move on.
But although IT normally prides itself on individuality and a
carefree approach to life, it will struggle to maintain this
attitude against a backdrop of corporate failure, especially in the
US. Undoubtedly, everyone prefers to work in a creative,
imaginative and go-getting atmosphere. Yet it is also fair to say
people don't want carefree, imaginative accountants - it is their
job to agonise over the figures.
After a year that has seen the collapse of companies such as Enron
and WorldCom, accountants in grey suits are becoming more visible
after staying in the background for so long. Peoplesoft recently
made its attitude clear about the way in which it wants to be
viewed at its Christmas party. Its invitation read "no
suits".
IT has traditionally been divided between accountants' suits and
the more laid-back style of the T-shirts and chinos of developers
who wouldn't be seen dead in a shirt and tie. But this is not
necessarily a good thing for every business - the working
environment improves when everyone gets on together.
Just because CEOs and accountants at operations such as Enron and
WorldCom have caused a crisis of confidence in the business world,
other companies have no need to cut back on the one event of the
year where staff get a chance to kick back. Many accountants could
justify restricting spending if their company is at death's door,
but is that really the image a business wants to present to the
world? A party would be a great force for renewal.
Near-death of a salesman
It has been a particularly
hard year for IT sales. Managers were forced to find ever more
creative ways of motivating staff. This proved to be too much for
one sales manager.
Twenty-five-year-old David Pattison headed a ten-strong team and
spent his days making sure staff were performing to the best of
their ability. But he frequently lost his temper. One night, he
felt a tightening across his chest that wouldn't go. He put up with
it for a couple of days before admitting himself to a hospital
where he was diagnosed with a heart attack. He couldn't believe it
- quite apart from anything else, he was so young.
"I was in denial. I thought I would have the treatment, get out of
hospital and go straight back to work," Pattison reveals.
Fortunately, he is still alive, but is having to rethink his whole
lifestyle - which might mean a move out of management.
Pat on the back
This has serious implications for the
IT world. Pattison had a problem with anger, but the stress of his
job did not help. It is a world where playing hard and getting
results in difficult circumstances need recognition. Reward and
praise measured in tangible bonuses are everything. Employees who
have performed well have a chance to show this off at their
Christmas party.
In 2003, there is a chance for everyone to work together to drive
the industry out of recession - and what better place to start than
a huge Christmas party? Staff have worked hard this year. Some,
like Pattison, have put their lives on the line. They deserve to be
rewarded at the end of a punishing year.