HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS BULLETINS

Christmas Parties..............

Yes, its that time of year again when we can think of nothing else but the festive season and the imminent office party.

Every year I send out a 'be prepared' email about the pitfalls of the Christmas Party, but this year I've already had one client who has had to result to disciplinary proceedings because of someone's unacceptable behaviour at theirs which was that this particular employee thought it was funny to show indecent photos taken on their mobile phone to their colleagues at the party. So I thought I would again send out a gentle reminder that you might find helpful.

So how do you avoid the fallout of the Christmas party ?

Christmas parties are rife with potential problems for employers, from drunken flings, violence between colleagues, unwanted sexual advances to the legendary misuse of photocopiers…..the list is endless. Furthermore, the advent of the smoking ban, age discrimination regulations and 24-hour drinking laws has brought further cause for concern for employers when planning the usual festivities.

A recent survey reports the problems with Christmas parties are more common than you may think:

• 50% of parties end up with colleagues fighting
• 33% involve incidents of sexual harassment
• 20% involve accidents

So, is it worth all the bother? Of course, if managed properly as it can be a good way of socialising with your staff and to do away with the annual event altogether may cause its own problems but there are some simple proactive measures you can take to reduce the risk of problems associated with the Christmas party:

• Encourage managers to limit their own consumption of alcohol, in order to keep a clear eye on proceedings and set a good example
• Consider limiting the volume of alcohol available – many people get carried away when free drinks are involved
• Advise managers not to discuss or promise promotions or salary increases for their staff.

Unfortunately, no matter what processes you may put in place to prepare yourselves, there is always a chance of unacceptable behaviour which may lead to taking disciplinary action or responding to a grievance.

You must be aware that the party venue is basically an extension of the office and that you remain responsible for the well-being, protection and behaviour of your employees. The potential for any sort of misconduct is usually down to the influence of alcohol. You also need to consider how employees are getting home afterwards. One area is ensuring no drink/driving as if an employee has an accident on the way home from an office party where you supplied the alcohol, you could be deemed as careless if it results in a prosecution.

In HR Solutions' Newsletter November 2005, that you can download http://www.hrsolutions-uk.com/human-resources-newsletters.htm there is an article called "It Started with a Kiss" that you might find interesting that goes into this subject in more detail, but you may wish to consider the following steps to help prevent litigation this year that includes:

• Ensure your policies are up to date regarding harassment, victimisation and discrimination, this includes your disciplinary and grievance procedure to ensure that it covers such issues
• Issue some form of statement that lets your employees know the sort of behaviour that will not be tolerated and what action you will take if such behaviour is found to have taken place and also that should someone have a grievance emanating from such behaviour how they can raise it
• Remind staff that it is a Company function and that whilst you want them to enjoy themselves they are also responsible for complying with Company procedures and presenting themselves in the best possible image for the Company

HR Solutions can help you with such a nice statement. For advice on Christmas break related queries, contact HR Solutions immediately before it is too late!

Other than that, have a great Christmas and New Year, but if you do have any issues arise over this Festive Season, you know who to call!

Published: Dec 2007
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