HR Department
  • Home
  • Did you Know?
  • Our Services
    • NEW: Mediation
    • HR Audit
    • Implementation
    • HR Support Service
    • HR Services
  • Our Experts
  • Testimonials
  • The HR Advisor
  • Contact Us
  • Login

Work Christmas Party? Don’t be Left with a Headache

19/12/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
It’s Christmas party season which means workplaces up and down the country will be treating employees to slap-up meals to thank them for their hard work over the year. The Christmas party is a great team building session but it is important to remember that an employer is liable for the conduct of its employees at a Christmas party organised by the employer, even when a party takes place somewhere other than in the workplace.

The HR Department has put together some tips to enable employers to relax and enjoy the festive season.


TIP ONE: Remind your Employees of the Rules

It may be humbug, but normal rules when representing the company, also apply at the Christmas party. Employers should ensure that employees understand the standard of conduct expected of and that they are expected to observe the provisions of the Dignity at Work and Bullying and Harassment policies at work related events. Employers may need to consider amending policies to include references to work related social events, or introducing them if such policies are not in place.

Set out clearly what is expected of employees in advance by sending an email that provides clear written guidance to all employees about acceptable standards of behaviour and reminding them that the party is an extension of the work place. Make it clear that fighting, excessive alcohol consumption, the use of illegal drugs, inappropriate behaviour, sexist or racist remarks or harassment and comments about sexual orientation, disability, age or religion will not be tolerated. Explain that disciplinary action may be taken for unacceptable behaviour.


TIP TWO: Be Considerate

If the Christmas party is out of hours, understand that some people have family responsibilities that may prevent them attending. Employers also need to be sensitive to employees who don't drink alcohol or who don't eat certain foods, and should ensure there are non-alcoholic drinks available and alternative food options. It is important to be mindful that allowing employees to bring their partners must not discriminate on the ground of sexual orientation. It should not be assumed that all partners are of the opposite sex and invitations should be opened up to all.


TIP THREE: Don’t Offer a Free Bar

Try not to encourage excessive alcohol intake as a result of offering employees a free bar. The majority of incidents that could potentially land employers in trouble tend to be as a result of too much alcohol. Remember, as it is a company party, the employer is liable for any ‘mishaps’, including physical injuries, so you may want to consider restricting the amount of free alcohol available and should be prepared to ask individuals not to drink any more if they appear worse for wear.


TIP FOUR: Keep an Eye on Social Media

We've all heard that there is no such thing as bad publicity, but this isn’t the case when it potentially comes to images or footage from a Christmas party going viral on social media sites for all the wrong reasons. Employers should confirm with employees that they are aware either through the company Social Media Policy or specific guidelines circulated in advance of the Christmas party, that employees are not permitted to upload material on social media sites which would unfavourably affect the reputation of the employer. It’s important to communicate that such conduct may result in the employee being disciplined in accordance with the employer's disciplinary policy.

 
TIP FIVE: Don’t Make any Promises

Managers should avoid discussions about performance, promotion, salary or career prospects at the Christmas party, especially if alcohol has been taken. Words of encouragement and good intentions can be misinterpreted and may cause future issues.


TIP SIX: Your Employees are Your Responsibility

The vast majority of employees will have successfully made their way home from a night out in the past, however employers still need to give consideration to how they will do employees will make it home from the party. In an email prior to the event, include advice about not drinking and driving, as an employer may still be responsible for its employees driving home from an office party. Ask employees to plan their journey home before attending the party.


TIP SEVEN: Consider having the Christmas Party at the Weekend

Having your office party in the middle of the week often lowers productivity levels the following day, as those who haven’t called in sick or booked annual leave for the day after will barely be functioning. As well as lower productivity, employers need to be mindful of health and safety policies, especially for employees who drive or operate machinery. An employee should not be at work under the influence of drugs or alcohol so that they do not endanger their own or another person's health and safety at work.

Employers should communicate that employees who report to work the day after the Christmas party are not to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Having your party at the weekend ensures that employees can be unproductive on their own time, as well as save you from potential health and safety risks.


TIP EIGHT: Discipline Later

Consider appointing a “sensible” person to stay sober at the party who can intervene if things start to get out of hand. In the circumstance that something unfortunate does happen, do not discipline any employees at the party itself as this could cause further issues on the evening. Send the person at fault home if necessary and deal with the incident when you are back at the office.


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from The HR Department


The contents of this article are necessarily expressed in broad terms and limited to general information rather than detailed analyses or legal advice. Specialist professional advice should always be obtained to address legal and other issues arising in specific contexts.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    Categories

    All
    Absenteeism
    Agile Management
    Anger
    Annual Leave
    Appointments
    Big Data
    Bullying
    Bullying In The Workplace
    Business
    BYOD
    Collaboration
    Communication
    Company Culture
    Compulsory Retirement
    Conflict Resolution
    Corporate Culture
    Covid 19
    Covid-19
    Cyber Bullying
    Data Protection
    Device Policy
    Digital
    Digital Transformation
    Disciplinary Procedures
    Discrimination
    Diversity
    Dress Code
    Emotional Intelligence
    Employee Benefits
    Employee Diversity
    Employee Engagement
    Employee Performance
    Employee Relations
    Employee Resignation
    Employee Retention
    Employee Rights
    Employee Wellbeing
    Employer Branding
    Employment Contract
    Equality
    Flexible Working Hours
    Freelance
    Freelancer Management
    Freelancing
    Gender
    Gig Economy
    Health And Safety
    Hiring Process
    HR
    HR Automation
    HRLocker
    HR Paper Work
    HR Performance
    HR Tips
    Human Resources
    Incentives
    Inclusion
    Independent Contractor
    In-house
    Innovation
    Intelectual Property
    Intern
    Jargon
    Just Culture
    L&D
    Leadership
    Learning & Development
    Long Term Illness
    Management
    Managers
    McDonalds
    Mediation
    Mentorship
    Millenials
    Motivating Staff
    Music
    Negative Employees
    Office Romance
    Onboarding
    Outsourced HR
    Paid Paternity Benefit
    Parental Leave
    Parenting
    Part Time
    Part-time
    Passive-aggressive
    Paternity Leave
    Paternity Leave Policy
    Pay Gap
    Pensions
    People Operations
    Poaching Employees
    Policy
    Problem Employee
    Productivity
    Profit
    Protected Disclosures Act
    Recruitment
    Redundancy
    Retirement
    Role Of HR
    Salary Transparency
    Sexual Harrassment
    Sick Leave
    Sick Pay
    Sick Policy
    Skills
    Skills Shortage
    Social Media
    Social Media Policy
    Staff Burnout
    Staff Engagement
    Staff Retention
    Staff Training
    Strategy
    Success
    Talent
    Talent Acquisition
    Talent Retention
    Team
    Teamwork
    Tech In HR
    The Jungle Book
    Training
    Trust
    Unfair Dismissal
    Vacation
    Whistleblower
    Work Arrangements
    Working Parents
    Workplace
    Workplace Bullying
    Workplace BYOD Policy
    Workplace Conflict
    Workplace Discrimination
    Workplace Harassment
    Workplace Health
    Work Related Stress
    Zero Hour Contract

    RSS Feed

HR Department, 49 Hollybank Avenue, Lower Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland.
 
Phone : +353 87 852 7723
E-mail: [email protected]

Registered in Ireland under company number 348834

Testimonials

Fallon and Byrne

“As a medium –sized business, we could not justify having an in-house HR person. The HR department provided the perfect solution for us, giving us access to all of the expert advice we needed on an outsourced basis"

READ MORE!
Website by Chevron Studio