New Year revelry not funny for so many people

As Chinese New Year approaches, year-end parties will be a must in many companies for staff members so people can get together and welcome the lunar New Year.

Besides being busy with writing reports and a summary of work for the past year, staff members have to drain their brains to prepare for performances at the party, which is thought to be another platform for displaying team spirit and personal abilities in front of bosses and colleagues.

While many employees enjoy the activities, some suffer from "year-end party phobia". Some complain that preparing shows takes extra energy. And some white-collar workers even post "help" notices on forums on websites seeking fresh and unique thoughts.

Does "year-end party phobia" hit you? According to the data collected between Jan 6 and Jan 12 on an ongoing Web survey carried out by China Daily, 60 percent of respondents said they felt party fear. Some 32 percent said they were not scared and 8 percent said they didn't know.

The year-end party is a "family gathering" of people involved with enterprises and organizations, from leaders to common staff. The sad feeling, however, may threaten to turn the warm and cozy festival cold.

One middle-aged man complained to me that he is no good at sports or dancing, and is too old to learn new steps and remember detailed movements more suited to young people. At some enterprises, simple performances such as singing a song have been banned.

In fact, lots of people share the feeling of the middle-aged man, similar complaints can be heard everywhere. Logging onto some portals in China, we can easily find out that psychological pressure through online posts such as "begging for programs in the year-end party" and "preparing for the performance in the party is tougher than work".

The essence of the year-end party should be happy and relaxing, however, the normal happy party in some enterprises has turned into a "stressed party" because of the lengthy preparations needed and psychological burden.

Some have suggested that it would be better to invite professional performers to entertain guests at the party which would alleviate the stress on employees and give the spare time used for rehearsals back to staff members. Another advantage would be that employees can focus more on their work ahead of the party.

But still many others prefer to keep the year-end party for staff members themselves.

Although performances at the party may not be relaxing "tasks" for some, we should try to enjoy the process of preparation and hard work for the final display, and at least get improvement in sectors we are unfamiliar with, they said. This can also be recognized as a special experience in our lives and bring about joy to others whether the show is of high quality or not.