Actually everything seemed to be pretty safe this year, at least that’s what many entrepreneurs and their employees thought. This time Christmas is celebrated among colleagues, but this time really! Many companies booked restaurants and locations in the summer, so great was the euphoria and the desire to get together at a company Christmas party, just as it was before the pandemic. But then what happened that epidemiologists and virologists had long since warned: The corona situation came to a head. Measures were quickly taken again: 3G at the workplace, home office and video conferences, stricter rules in restaurants and in some Corona hotspots even closings. And immediately the question arose: What do you do for Christmas now?
Company parties in restaurants and pubs were canceled one after the other within a few days. Some postpone the whole thing until spring and summer, hoping to be on the safe side. Some prefer to meet in front of the screen and organize virtual wine tastings or cocktail workshops, others still want to try it in the fresh air, and the winter trend is: hot drinks and ice stock sport. In Munich’s Löwenbräukeller, four instead of two ice stock lanes were installed due to the high demand, and this sport is also in great demand for company Christmas parties in other German cities.
The Christmas business, which is so important for the catering industry, threatens to collapse
The catering industry confirms the numerous rejections. According to a survey by the Dehoga Hotel and Restaurant Association, which was carried out from November 15 to 17, almost 90 percent of hoteliers and restaurateurs report corona-related cancellations of Christmas parties. Almost every second celebration (45 percent) has already been canceled – and further cancellations can be expected as the corona situation worsens, such a spokeswoman. Events were canceled in 85.5 percent of the establishments. “The Christmas business, which is so important for the industry, threatens to collapse completely, we are once again experiencing a wave of rejections,” says Dehoga President Guido Zöllick. According to the Dehoga survey, the main reason given by the guests for the cancellation was the current infection situation. Almost half of the companies report that their guests canceled with reference to the 2-G regulation – and the consequences for the industry are disastrous: “With a view to the increasing number of infections and the associated stricter access rules, the uncertainty and the worries about livelihood decrease the factories close again “, the Dehoga President continued.
If you ask the large corporations, the picture is clear: Big Christmas parties will not take place this year either. When asked by SZ, a spokeswoman for the chemical company BASF said that planned Christmas parties in attendance at the Ludwigshafen site must be postponed to spring “for mutual protection”. At Deutsche Bank, company Christmas parties in attendance are also not allowed, many teams will be holding virtual Christmas parties, as they did last year. Telekom announced that there will be no big or online Christmas party this year: “We’re a little tired from all the virtual meetings and events. That’s why we said to ourselves: Not again virtually. We want to wait, until we can really celebrate again, “said a Telekom spokesman. Big Christmas parties will not take place at Bayer either: You can celebrate there in teams or in smaller groups that work together regularly, according to a spokesman. However, on the condition: 2 G plus test.
Virtual Christmas parties are better than nothing, believes a psychologist
But is it really that bad when the company Christmas holidays are canceled for the second time in a row? Yes it is. At least according to the occupational and health psychologist Amelie Wiedemann from the Berlin start-up Dear Employee. Dear Employee supports companies in creating “healthy and motivating working conditions”, said Wiedemann. Therefore, she knows how important it is for employees to always have the opportunity for an informal exchange – like at a Christmas party. “However, this informal exchange in particular is neglected in times of pandemic, since many work in the home office,” says the psychologist. Christmas parties fulfill an important function not only for the employees, but also from the employer’s point of view: “A Christmas party is a wonderful opportunity for the employer to express his appreciation for the employees.” Exactly this appreciation is an important point so that the employee feels bound.
The only problem is: large Christmas parties in attendance are not a good idea at the moment. So what to do Wiedemann thinks: Even a virtual Christmas party is better than nothing. “Sure, face-to-face meetings are unbeatable, and a Christmas party in front of the screen can only reflect that to a limited extent,” says the industrial psychologist. “But you can also create great celebrations virtually.” From an occupational psychological point of view, for example, it is good to review the year together and discuss operational challenges, because that strengthens the team. The only important thing is that you try to incorporate a certain amount of spontaneity into the celebration without the executives only talking head-on to the employees. If that succeeds, everyone involved can be happy. And we continue to hope that it will soon be possible to celebrate in presence again – but really next year.