Corporate Parties Stage a Comeback

Tell Mr. Scrooge that company Christmas parties are back in vogue.

Battalia Winston International, a New York-based executive search firm that each year surveys 102 large companies, reports that the number of corporate Christmas parties hosted by employers will reach a six-year high this holiday season.

Spending on holiday parties won’t necessarily be higher than in the past, but corporate executives say that holiday parties are one way to “promote team-building.”

Battalia Winston’s survey also shows that corporate gift-giving isn’t as popular as it has been in the past. “Gifts are not viewed as playing much of a role [in building camaraderie], so companies are moving away from that practice,” according to Battalia Winston Chairman Dale Winston.

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Greg Johnson covers retail businesses and restaurants for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5950 and at greg.johnson@latimes.com