Too much Christmas cheer?

With the Christmas party season upon us a poll conducted by Monster.com revealed that nearly 10% of UK employees admit to doing something regrettable that has affected their career.

What a lot of employers fail to realise is that they are responsible for the behavior of their employees even at a Christmas party and so here is some guidance on how to avoid an expensive ‘hangover’ following your festivities this year.

1) Set expectations & boundaries

Make clear prior to any event your expectations for the behavior of all employees. There are an increasing amount of areas which you can be held liable for such as:

• Unwanted advances could be considered as sexual harassment
• Jovial comments that are too personal may be considered bullying or harassment

Much as Christmas parties are a great reason to celebrate a successful year and a great chance for the team to bond and be motivated it must be remembered this is a work based event and as such employees should conduct themselves with perhaps more restraint.

2) Alcohol

Inevitably there will be copious amounts of alcohol, however this can often lead to aggressive behavior and so it is important that you have the ability to deal with these situations as they arise.

3) The morning after

You may see employees calling in sick the day after, however it is very difficult to determine if this is a genuine illness or a bad hangover. A good starting point is to make clear in advance that you expect all employees to be present at work the next day.

Consider your own actions, if you give access to a free bar until the early hours then it is likely you will have issues the following day.

If you would like advice on any issues arising from your festivities then feel free to contact me on 0844 8797286 or email me at sarah@questconsulltingservices.co.uk

Author – Sarah Birkenshaw

Date – November 2014