On the street
Is your company cutting back for the holidays?
No, there are no plans to cut back for the holidays.
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For what is supposed to be a good-time-had-by-all, morale-boosting event, the decision on how to handle the company holiday party can be a challenge this year.
Companies are having to balance not wanting to seem extravagant with the need to maintain tradition, said Catherine Schwoerer, an associate professor at Kansas University School of Business.
Schwoerer has heard from her graduate-level working students at KU’s Edwards Campus of scaled-back bonuses and social events.
“I think resigned may be the best description,” Schwoerer said. “Many (students) have been through recent reductions, downsizings, and they are grateful to have a job.”
In Lawrence, Amarr Garage Doors, which has about 650 employees, won’t have its traditional company party at Abe & Jake’s Landing this year. One of the country’s biggest manufacturers and distributors of residential garage doors, Amarr hasn’t gone through any layoffs. Still, doing away with the party seemed like the fiscally responsible thing to do, human resource director Kirsten Krug said.
“Any time you make changes to something you’ve done for so many years and something team members have come to expect and enjoy, it’s a difficult decision,” she said.
Even in tight economic times, Schwoerer said getting together outside work in an informal setting can be important. If companies are thinking of changing those long-held holiday traditions, she recommends an open dialogue first.
Not everyone is downsizing holiday plans.
Lawrence Memorial Hospital considered curtailing the holiday get-together, a family-focused event with Santa Claus, crafts and hors d’oeuvres for about 600. But LMH decided to keep it as is, recruitment manager Lisa Kutait said.
“When it was time to start planning, I automatically asked my boss, ‘Are we going to move forward, do we want to do anything differently?’” she said. “We want the employees to know how much we appreciate them and chose not to cut back.”
For PackerWare, it’s Christmas as usual.
The east Lawrence plastic plant, a division of Berry Plastics, will have its traditional holiday party at Abe & Jake’s, profit-sharing and gift certificates, plant manager Steve Brown said.
“We strongly feel our employees are the reason for who we are, so we will not cut back,” he said.
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