In our region it is often the case, that you get a christmas present from your company to appreciate for the work one has done.
That was also the case in our company, but since the company has new owners, this "tradition" is gone.
Upon request the statement from the management is that they prefer socialising events instead of presents.
I understand that socialising events helps in team building and I'm fine with it. The event mostly consist of a dinner (paid by the company) and takes place in the free time. There is also no obligation to attend such an event, but if you want, you have to register.
What are the advantages/disadvantages from these two approaches from the view of the management? Are they excluding each other? I want to understand the decision better.
Regarding taxation in my region:
186 EUR per employee per year are non-taxable for non-monetary benefits
365 EUR per employee per year are non-taxable for corporate events
So both can be applied and are independent of each other, but they are different in height.