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Don't Expect a Company Holiday Party This Year

Don't Expect a Company Holiday Party This Year

The company holiday party may be dead.

Many companies have canceled year-end festivities, according to a crowdsourced list of holiday party, gifts and bonus policies on the professional social network Blind. The likely culprit is a fear of hosting a potential “superspreader” event amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, especially as cases rise nationwide.

Some companies, such as BCG, continue to celebrate the end of the year with aplomb. In addition to a holiday party at an “upscale venue,” a verified employee at the worldwide consulting firm said workers would also receive event tickets and $300 to expense toward groceries or a meal.

Afterpay, Amdocs, Cirrus Logic and Roblox are among other companies that will go ahead with a holiday party, per Blind.

“Parties for those that want to attend in various places around the globe,” a verified engineer at Afterpay reported. “And a chef-prepared meal and a drink of your choice delivered to your home for the remote folks.”

In addition to a holiday party, employees at Amdocs and Roblox will also receive a proper gift. Amdocs employees will receive a $3,000 cash bonus and a jacket, and the metaverse company will give its workers gloves or another article of winter clothing.

Continuing last year’s trend, some employers plan to host a “virtual” holiday party in 2021. Hubspot, Metromile, Rakuten, and even some local teams at Meta, which owns Facebook, will celebrate with a video conference, verified professionals at each company said on Blind. The online events typically include care packages of food, drinks or gifts sent to each employee, intended to accompany a shared live activity, like a cocktail mixing lesson or a comedian’s set.

Other companies have just made the holiday party a lot smaller.

Managers at SAP can organize small gatherings with their teams, and each employee has the discretion to spend $96 on a meal and have it expensed.

Where 2020 may have been the year of the virtual holiday party, many companies are offering employees a year-end cash bonus or gift instead, according to Blind.

Companies offering employees a year-end cash bonus

According to verified professionals at each company on Blind, these are the cash bonuses some companies will pay in place of a holiday party:

  • Hinge Health: $5,000 cash bonus, plus a choice of a swag item
  • Amdocs: $3,000 cash bonus
  • Google: $1,600 cash bonus, plus many will also receive a team-specific gift, such as a bag, hat or sweatshirt
  • Apple: $1,000 cash bonus
  • OfferUp: $1,000 cash bonus
  • Verkada: $1,000 cash bonus
  • SHI: $100 cash bonus
  • USAA: Extra two weeks of pay and a gift card
  • Forbes: Extra two weeks of pay

Companies providing employees with a year-end gift or swag

Here are some of the swag some workers will receive this year, according to verified professionals at each company on Blind:

  • Airtable: Company-branded suitcase
  • Amazon: Personalized gift, which in past years included a choice of Patagonia clothing or a set of wine
  • Aurora: Blanket, hot cocoa kit and a holiday card
  • Black & Veatch: Internal snack boxes and Lego toy set
  • Cambium Assessment: $50 Amazon gift card
  • Capital One: $450 gift card
  • Charles Schwab: $25 gift card
  • Chime: Charcuterie board, wine and company-branded swag
  • D. E. Shaw & Co.: AirPods Pro wireless headphones, company-branded clothing and a meal
  • DraftKings: $100 Amazon gift card
  • Dropbox: Company-branded hoodie sweatshirt
  • Fidelity Investments: Custom snack box
  • Houston Methodist: $500 gift card to spend at the Texas-based HEB grocery chain
  • Lockheed Martin: Themed “gift bag,” such as a kitchen set
  • Nordstrom: Gourmet snack box, cocktail kit and a Grubhub gift card
  • Pokemon Company: Gifts and a meal for two at a local steakhouse in the Seattle area
  • Red Hat: $50 gift card, plus many will also receive a team-specific gift, such as a company-branded camping blanket, outdoor folding chair or Osprey backpack
  • Robinhood: Pair of custom Nike shoes
  • SmartThings: $500 gift card, plus a 30% off discount on the lowest available price on AKG, Harman and Samsung electronics
  • State Farm: Small kitchen items, such as a toaster
  • Southwest Airlines: Four 25%-off flight discount coupons
  • TuSimple: Company-branded shirt
  • Uber: Company-branded clothing, such as a vest
  • Wizards of the Coast: Company-branded clothing
  • Zillow Group: $50 Amazon gift card, plus a team-specific gift, which may be an additional Amazon gift card

The bottom line

While it is the holiday season, it is no longer the holiday party season for many workers. As professionals continue to work remotely, many companies offer one-time cash bonuses, gift cards or swag at the end of the year.

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