How To Avoid Work Christmas Party Pitfalls – And How To Deal With Employee Misconduct When Things Go Wrong
Tis the season to be jolly and we all like to let our hair down at the work Christmas Party. With free-flowing booze, inhibitions often go out of the window and people can get rather carried away, which is all great fun on the night, but back in the office, in the cold light of day, it can all be rather different. At best, it’s hiding hangovers and embarrassed people avoiding eye contact for a couple of days, at worst it’s serious breaches of company policy and allegations being made.
With the cost of living crisis still looming large, there is also the cost implications of partying to consider, because whether the get together is fully funded, subsidised or paid for by individuals, someone has to foot the bill.
So, can you avoid the pitfalls of the office party without being a grinch? And how do you deal with the aftermath when things go wrong?
Choose your Work Christmas party or event wisely
Making few wise decisions at the planning stage can help avoid some issues altogether.
Unless you are planning to fully fund the event with all food, drinks and travel included, you’ll need to mindful of whether your employees can afford to attend. Paying for a round of drinks and a late- night taxi all adds up and may be more than individuals can spare. Choose a venue that is close to where people live and help organise shared transport so costs are reduced – and don’t choose a bar with exorbitant prices.
If you are putting money behind the event, be responsible and consider how much ‘free booze’ you make available, so that you’re not fuelling drunken behaviour. Taking this one step further, choose an event that doesn’t involve alcohol at all – there are plenty of fun alternative activities available – from creative workshops to adrenalin-fuelled outdoor sports! You should also be sensitive to any employees for whom alcohol is a complete no-go, for example for religious reasons or if they have addiction problems.
Give A Gentle Reminder!
It’s worth adding a reminder to the party invite information that everyone is still representing the company whilst at the Christmas do. People tend to forget this, especially if the event is held off site. You do not want your company reputation undermined by mis-judged behaviour.
Are Your Company Policies in Place?
Have you included anything specific about Christmas Parties, or any work event, in your company handbook or policy documentation? Laying out expectations and the consequences of not following the rules in black and white, gives you a solid foundation to fall back on should any issues occur.
If you need help updating your Company Handbook, we can help.
Brief The Managers
Your management team deserve to relax and have fun too but remind them that they need to remain professional and lead by example. You have trusted them with a management position and they need to accept the responsibilities that come with that.
Deal with inappropriate behaviour and employee misconduct in an official way
Remember, anything that goes on at a work Christmas Party that breaks the company’s rules on behaviour, can be dealt with through official disciplinary or grievance procedures. It definitely isn’t a case of ‘what goes on at the party, stays at the party.’ Dealing with misconduct, in a prompt and official way, will help reenforce the message for future events, that inappropriate behaviour will not go unnoticed just because it’s party time.
After the party…
And it’s not just things that happen at the party that can be a problem. Employees who have had one to many drinks, may find it more difficult to arrive for work on time the following day, if they arrive at all. Even if they’re on time, they may still be feeling a bit worse for wear and not able to perform their duties properly. If any of this occurs, it can be tempting to let it slide so as not to be a party pooper but you should deal with it through your usual absence and performance management procedures, otherwise you could be opening yourself up to issues further down the line.
Pure Human Resources can provide support with handling employee misconduct, disciplinary and grievance procedures, absence management and managing underperformance. We offer Pay As You Go services which are ideal for sorting out any ad-hoc employee management issues.
If you don’t manage to avoid an incident this year and need help with your office Christmas party HR, get in touch!
