Weil Gotshal’s Boston Holiday Party Was in the Conference Room
The managing partner of Weil Gotshal & Manges in Boston says a decision to hold the office’s holiday party in a conference room instead of a restaurant wasn’t about saving money.
Instead, it was about being mindful of the hardships faced by clients and employees during the economic downturn, office managing partner Jim Westra told the Boston Globe. “It just seemed to us inappropriate to have a more extravagant or indulgent party when there were a lot of people having difficulty making ends meet,’’ he said.
Westra said the party included a Dance Dance Revolution contest that was just as fun as a more elaborate celebration.
The Globe included news of Weil’s holiday celebration in a story about companies scaling back on holiday parties. The newspaper cited a survey by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas that found 62 percent of companies were planning holiday parties this year, down from 77 percent last year and 90 percent the year before. About a third of the companies having parties said they are spending 10 to 20 percent less, on average, than last year.
