The 2024 Holiday Practices Survey highlights how companies navigate holiday time off, party planning, and charitable giving this season. The key takeaways from the survey are as follows:

• Holiday Eve Time-Off: Only 30.3% of organizations plan to provide paid time off for Christmas or New Year’s Eve, with a mix of half-day (56.5%) and full-day (37.7%) options.
• Paid Half-Staff Eve Scheduling: Most employers (72.4%) don’t plan to offer a half-staff eve schedule for holiday eves, whereas over 18 percent will offer a half-staff eve schedule for both Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
• Holiday Party Practices: Holiday celebrations are on the rise, with 66.4% of companies planning to host a holiday party this year, which is an increase from last year. Most of these parties will be held at offsite venues, and 37.6% of organizations will allow guests to join.
• Policies on Alcoholic Beverages at Holiday Parties: Of those serving alcohol, 40.9% are implementing safeguards like drink limits and transportation options to ensure employee safety.
• Community/Charitable Giving: Community/Charitable giving is slightly up, with 36.9% of organizations participating in charitable giving, signaling increased goodwill efforts compared to last year.

These are just the highlights—members who participated receive the full, detailed survey results, providing an in-depth look into evolving holiday practices. For more information on participating in HEC surveys, contact HEC’s Survey & Compensation team.