Customs - Traditional company Christmas parties are back
Christmas parties at companies were largely canceled during the coronavirus period - now it's time to raise a glass everywhere again during Advent. Companies welcome the fact that people are coming together in person. According to a survey of Hessian companies conducted by Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the relaxed exchange away from everyday office life should also strengthen the sense of community.
"After two online Christmas parties and a large outdoor Christmas market on the SMA campus last year, all employees from Germany, including temporary workers, are celebrating together again this year at the Kongress-Palais in Kassel, as in the years before Corona," says a spokeswoman for the solar technology group SMA from Niestetal near Kassel.
Celebrating together, whether it's Christmas or the summer party, has been part of the corporate culture since the company was founded 42 years ago. There is a joint meal, the traditional Management Board speech and a stage program with music and dancing, which is organized by colleagues.
Joint visits to the Christmas market
Christmas parties are traditionally very important, says a Lufthansa spokesperson. Especially after the pandemic, employees are looking forward to a relaxed get-together after work. The Lufthansa Group is characterized by diversity - this also applies to the Christmas parties.
According to the information provided, Lufthansa celebrates at larger events, but also within teams and departments. In Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg, joint visits to Christmas markets are particularly popular in order to "get together for a cozy exchange over Christmas desserts and winter drinks".
"Although we no longer have coronavirus, we still have a hybrid working environment where personal presence is important," says a spokeswoman from R+V Allgemeine Versicherung in Wiesbaden. There are no centralized Christmas parties. Each department decides for itself. "Getting together in general is important to create a sense of community within the company. This is especially true in the run-up to Christmas, when it gets dark and cold outside."
At Helios Dr. Horst Schmidt Kliniken Wiesbaden, the big Christmas party has been canceled this year - for good reason: employees and their families will be invited to a party in the new clinic building in mid-January, says a press officer. Everyone will then get in the mood for the new building with music and good food. The move is planned for the end of January.
Teams organize themselves
At the Darmstadt-based chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck, teams and departments organize their own Christmas parties, according to a company spokeswoman. Even before the pandemic, there was no Group-wide or site-wide Christmas party. "The teams are also free to decide whether they want to hold their Christmas party as an in-person event, in a hybrid or purely virtual format."
Pfeiffer Vacuum employees have already brought the year to a close with a visit to the Christmas market in Wetzlar together with their superiors. On this occasion, the Christmas market was open exclusively for Pfeiffer, according to a spokeswoman for the manufacturer of vacuum pump systems based in Asslar (Lahn-Dill district).
Some departments also met with their teams in a private setting. The Christmas party is a "very important and cherished tradition" for the company, which offers the management and superiors in particular the opportunity to thank the team for their commitment over the past year and to engage in personal discussions outside of day-to-day business.
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- Despite the cancellation of many Christmas parties during the coronavirus period, they are making a comeback during the 'advent season'.
- The German Press Agency conducted a survey of Hessian companies, which found that company Christmas parties can strengthen the sense of community during the 'relaxed exchange' away from the office.
- SMA, a solar technology group based in Niestetal near Kassel, is celebrating its Christmas party this year at the Kongress-Palais in Kassel, just like before 'Corona'.
- For Lufthansa, Christmas parties are an important tradition especially after the pandemic, providing employees with a relaxed get-together after work.
- Lufthansa celebrates not only at larger events but also within teams and departments, with visits to Christmas markets being particularly popular.
- R+V Allgemeine Versicherung in Wiesbaden does not have centralized Christmas parties; instead, each department decides how to gather and foster a sense of community.
- Helios Dr. Horst Schmidt Kliniken Wiesbaden postponed its big Christmas party to mid-January due to the move to a new clinic building, where everyone will enjoy music and good food.
- At Pfeiffer Vacuum, employees celebrated the end of the year at the Wetzlar Christmas market with their superiors, while some departments held their Christmas parties in private settings.
Source: www.stern.de
