Corporate Christmas Gatherings: A Kind Tradition or a Material Risk to the Firm?

20.12.2025

In Matylda’s marketing agency, December began with a festive flourish. At Matylda’s request, the HR department attended to every detail: there was a Christmas tree, a “Secret Santa” draw, and the highly anticipated official invitation to the corporate Christmas Eve vigil (wigilia). Matylda had good intentions. She wanted to briefly disconnect the team from their daily duties—to integrate and show appreciation for the employees after an intensive year of work.

However, not everyone in Matylda’s firm shared this festive enthusiasm. Agnieszka, a manager, went to HR that same day and openly admitted that she does not celebrate Christmas. She stated that while the tree did not bother her, she would prefer not to participate in the corporate wigilia.

The response she received was brief but firm: “Our gathering is during working hours, so attendance is mandatory. Besides, come on, Aga – once you have some beetroot soup, you’ll catch the holiday spirit.”

A few days later, the festive meeting took place. There was the traditional breaking of the wafer (opłatek), communal carol singing, and a nativity scene under the tree. Matylda, on behalf of the Board, offered solemn wishes to the employees. The celebration extended into the evening. Most employees had a great time, but by the next morning, the festive magic had vanished.

First thing in the morning, Matylda received an email that Agnieszka had sent to HR immediately after the event. Agnieszka filed a formal grievance against the company. She pointed out that, against her will, she was forced to participate in a meeting that had a distinctly religious and traditional character.

As a non-believer who does not observe these holidays, she felt discriminated against. She also added that Amir from her team likely felt similarly when Matylda asked him for help setting up the nativity scene. Agnieszka demanded an official apology and an assurance that such a situation would never recur.

Matylda was stunned. After all, corporate wigilie are completely normal—an annual tradition that most employees look forward to…

Where, then, lies the problem?

Corporate holiday meetings are deeply rooted in the organizational culture of many Polish companies. They are usually a pleasant tradition, an opportunity for integration, strengthening relationships, and thanking the team for a year of work—a temporary departure from the formal atmosphere and pressure for results.

The issue is that Christmas has an unequivocally religious and traditional character. The law clearly states that the workplace should remain neutral—both in terms of religion and worldview. An employer has an obligation to provide employees with a safe and neutral work environment—one where all employees feel accepted, regardless of their religion or beliefs.

The workplace should be religiously neutral.

In practice, this means an employer can even limit manifestations of religiosity, such as visible symbols or comments, if it is necessary to maintain neutrality within the firm. Such a prohibition, if implemented, must apply to everyone and be proportionate to the objective—without selective treatment. It is not about forbidding private faith, but merely its public display at work.

If a company does not introduce such restrictions, it must take particular care to ensure that no one is discriminated against based on religion or worldview. Wearing a cross, a hijab, or the absence of any religion must not influence promotions, bonus amounts, or the manner of treatment at work.

The law regulates this clearly: any discrimination in employment due to religion or worldview is prohibited. Furthermore, personal characteristics unrelated to work, such as beliefs, cannot be grounds for unequal treatment.

“Circumstances that do not have a basis in the specifics of an employee’s duties, the manner of their performance, or qualifications—as well as personal attributes of the employee unrelated to the work performed, such as worldview—are therefore considered prohibited criteria for unequal treatment.” [Supreme Court Judgment of 19.11.2020, II PK 239/18, OSNP 2021, No. 9, item 101].

An employer should also take particular care to ensure that all employees feel comfortable and safe in the workplace. If an employee is excluded by the team or treated worse by a supervisor due to their faith or beliefs, the company must react.

So, what about holiday meetings? Can they be organized safely?

Of course they can! However, it is worth remembering that a team is usually a mosaic of different views and beliefs; therefore, the recipe for success here is balance and moderation.

A Christmas tree and baubles are already cultural elements and, in themselves, will certainly not offend anyone. But if a holiday meeting is enriched with numerous religious elements, someone may feel uncomfortable. Therefore, before placing a wafer on the table and intoning the first carol, it is worth ensuring that everyone is comfortable with such a way of celebrating.

The holiday meeting should be comfortable for everyone.

The key to security may turn out to be compromise. A corporate celebration does not have to be a choice between rigid tradition and a total resignation from celebrating. Sometimes a small change is enough. Instead of a “wigilia” or “opłatek,” the team can be invited to a “holiday integration meeting.” Sharing the wafer can be replaced by a handshake, and solemn wishes by a simple kind word. It is worth ensuring that every employee, regardless of religion and worldview, can feel invited and welcome.

Voluntariness is the foundation

The workplace does not have to be entirely free of events referring to a specific worldview or tradition. However, an employee has no obligation to participate in them, and they must not be forced to do so.

This is precisely why Agnieszka, who explicitly stated that she does not celebrate the holidays and does not want to participate in a meeting with an atmosphere that does not suit her, could feel discriminated against.

This is a matter of employer responsibility. The burden lies with the company to prevent discrimination and provide employees with safe working conditions—including psychological safety. In such a situation, Agnieszka may charge the employer with neglect of these duties.

The safest solution is therefore to organize holiday meetings on a voluntary basis and—ideally—outside of working hours. Then each employee decides for themselves whether they want to take part.

And if the meeting takes place during working hours and the employer wants to use that moment to thank the team for a year of cooperation, that is perfectly fine. However, care must be taken to ensure no one feels uncomfortable, or simply to allow individuals who do not wish to participate in the event to opt out without any consequences.