The Staff Christmas Party - How to handle!
With the sparkling season upon us, the calendar is filling with staff Christmas parties, and at Tamar HR, we’re just as excited as you are. Believe it or not, even HR professionals love a good knees-up! But while we’re all for the fun, there are a few things employers should keep in mind to ensure the festivities don’t go from merry to messy.
Hosting a Christmas party is a brilliant way to celebrate your team’s hard work. But here’s a curveball: the party is technically still a work-related event. Not many people will realise this so it is always a good idea to send out a reminder to your employees with this in mind…not to be the scrooge in the room but this is a big one to note! Just because you are dressed up in all your finery and out of your physical work environment, you are still at a work-related event and therefore the same rules still apply, especially with the company’s behaviour, dignity, and respect policies.
The big one to look out for
With enough Prosecco clouding judgements, getting all kissy (consensual or not), or being overzealous on the dance floor, could lead to injury either to yourself, someone else or even a sexual harassment claim being made.
Remember, on the 26th October 2024 the worker protection act 2023 was introduced, shifting the emphasis on employers to ensure a more proactive approach is taken to identifying and addressing risks of sexual harassment. This includes acts from third parties and its worth noting that ignorance is no longer a defence.
First off, you need to understand these changes, so contact us if you wish to book some training for you and your team. You can also read our article here.
Step one would be to risk assess the party to mitigate against any concerns.
- Will it be a private party?
- What is the location of the event?
- Are the venue staff trained in recognising incidents?
- Will others be present – customers, clients, stakeholders etc?
- Will you have under legal drinking age staff present?
- Are your staff aware of what Sexual Harassment is and how they can report it?
You must consider these risks and have a plan in place to mitigate against them. Staff training will always be your number one tool against poor behaviour.
Getting home
It is also a good idea to remind employees to arrange their logistics to ensure a safe return home. Either pre-booking a taxi or arranging a shared lift home. Can you offer a bus journey to a mutually convenient location or even offer accommodation?
It is worth adding to the reminder you send out that it can take our bodies 1 hour to break down 1 unit of alcohol. If drinking proceeds into the early hours the next day, by the time 8am rolls around, we may still be unable to drive. As a guide, there are 3 units in a pint of lager and 1.5 units in a 125ml (small) glass of white wine.
Ensure that if drinks are provided by the company, there is a system to limit the overuse of this. Perhaps handing out drink tokens to exchange at the bar. You should also ensure that there are ample amounts of non-alcoholic drinks available. Ensure staff don’t tease others for not drinking alcohol. Sometimes this is a choice to ensure safe passage home, other times it can be deeper routed and the choice to not drink should be respected.
Social media
Social media is a powerful tool, and it should be used responsibly. Staff should avoid posting photos and videos that could reflect negatively on the company or their colleagues, and always ensure permission is requested from the subjects if media has been taken and uploaded. A great idea to help manage online content is to ask that all employees upload their media with the attached hashtag “#TamarHRFestivities” or something like that. This helps to manage content and ensure it aligns with the company values.
Inclusivity
Some employees will be on family friendly leave, without access to work emails. You should include them in on the invites and communications. They shouldn’t be left out.
Attendance to these events should be optional. A night of drinking may not be appropriate for some, especially those with culturally diverse backgrounds or disabilities, so consider starting with a meal and progressing from there. People then have the option of showing up at different stages depending on what suits them best.
Setting clear timelines
It’s wise to establish a clear start and end time for the event. This helps maintain professionalism and prevents post-event issues.
So with all that being said, we really want you to enjoy the dancing, but make sure your employees stay off the naughty list! Have fun and be the Christmas party legend for all the right reasons, and if something does crop up, have a plan to investigate promptly. Remember we are here to help.