It’s supposed to be a fun welcome to the team. But behind the annual performances is a familiar Filipino workplace dilemma: How do you say no without looking like you’re not a team player?
You’ve survived the interviews, signed your contract, and finally learned everyone’s names at work.
Then someone from HR delivers the news: All new hires must prepare a performance for the Christmas party.
Suddenly, your biggest concern isn’t meeting deadlines. It’s remembering choreography in front of the same managers who evaluate your performance.
For many Filipino workers, the new hire Christmas presentation is practically an office tradition. Some enjoy it. Others participate because refusing feels more uncomfortable than dancing.
But why has this practice become such a familiar part of workplace culture?
In Filipino workplaces, relationships often matter as much as professional responsibilities.
One cultural value that helps explain this is pakikisama, the importance of maintaining good relationships and getting along with others.
At its best, pakikisama encourages cooperation, consideration, and a sense of belonging. But it can also make disagreement uncomfortable, especially when everyone else appears willing to participate.
Imagine being the only newcomer who refuses to join the office performance.
Nobody explicitly threatens you. Still, you might worry about being labeled KJ, maarte, or mahirap pakisamahan.
The decision is no longer simply about whether you enjoy dancing. It becomes a question of how your colleagues will perceive you.
New employees occupy a particularly vulnerable position in workplace relationships.
They are still learning the company’s expectations, building connections, and trying to make a good impression.
Unlike longtime employees, they may not yet feel comfortable disagreeing with supervisors or questioning office traditions.
There is also the matter of hierarchy.
When a manager suggests that everyone should participate, a newcomer might interpret the suggestion as an instruction, even when participation is described as voluntary.
This creates an important distinction between being invited to join and feeling that you cannot refuse.
Company celebrations are not inherently bad for employees.
A 2023 study published in Scientific Reports, involving 359 workers in Germany, examined what makes company Christmas parties enjoyable.
Researchers found that a positive workplace culture, informal settings, and enjoyable activities were associated with greater satisfaction.
The findings suggest that successful celebrations depend on the experience employees have, rather than simply requiring everyone to take part in the same activity.
Although the study did not examine Philippine workplaces, it offers a useful lesson: Team bonding works better when people actually enjoy being there.
The issue recently gained attention after the Department of Labor and Employment reminded companies that employees should not be forced to dance, sing, or perform during Christmas celebrations.
In October 2026, DOLE-Central Visayas information officer Roberto Cabardo warned that compelling workers to participate against their will could constitute workplace bullying.
DOLE had issued a similar reminder in December 2025, explaining that employees threatened with disciplinary action for refusing unwanted activities may pursue appropriate labor remedies.
That does not mean every request to perform is illegal.
A friendly invitation is different from threatening someone with punishment, humiliation, or unfavorable treatment for declining.
Not necessarily.
There is nothing wrong with colleagues preparing a dance number, singing together, or organizing a Christmas presentation.
The important part is giving employees a genuine choice.
Companies can invite volunteers, organize team games, hold raffles, or offer activities that accommodate different personalities and comfort levels.
Managers can also make it clear that declining a performance will not affect how employees are treated or evaluated.
For workers who feel uncomfortable participating, a polite response can be enough: “I’d be happy to help with the program, but I’m not comfortable performing onstage.”
If refusal leads to threats or harassment, employees can document what happened, raise the concern through their company’s grievance process, or seek guidance from DOLE.
The best workplace traditions are the ones people look forward to, not the ones they feel obligated to endure.
A new employee who declines to dance can still be cooperative, hardworking, and a valuable member of the team.
And someone who genuinely loves performing should absolutely have the chance to take the stage.
Perhaps the better measure of a welcoming workplace isn’t whether every new hire joins the Christmas performance.
It’s whether someone can comfortably say no and still feel like they belong.