Managing Christmas Parties and Work Events

Managing Christmas Parties and Work Events

The festive period is a great opportunity for organisations to bring people together and recognise achievements over the year. Christmas parties, team lunches and other celebrations can have a positive impact on morale and relationships across an organisation.

However, employers should remember that a work-organised social event is still connected to the workplace. Standards of behaviour do not disappear because the event takes place in a restaurant, hotel or bar rather than the office.

Alcohol, informal surroundings and people relaxing outside their usual working environment can also create additional risks.

Below are some practical areas employers should consider when arranging festive work events.

Plan for Everyone and make it inclusive

Start by thinking about the whole workforce rather than simply organising an event that will appeal to the majority.

Employees may not celebrate Christmas for religious or personal reasons. Others may have caring responsibilities, disabilities or health conditions which affect whether and how they can attend.

The aim should not be to remove Christmas from a Christmas party, but to make sure nobody feels excluded because they celebrate differently or not at all.

·         The timing and location of the event.

·         Accessibility of the venue.

·         Dietary requirements.

·         Religious and cultural considerations.

·         Caring responsibilities.

·         Whether employees who do not drink alcohol will feel equally included.

Attendance at an out-of-hours social event should generally feel like an invitation rather than an obligation.

Don't Make Alcohol the Centre of the Event

Alcohol is often part of festive celebrations, but it should not be the only focus.

Some employees do not drink for religious, cultural, health or personal reasons. Others simply choose not to drink.

Make sure good quality alcohol-free alternatives are readily available and given the same prominence as alcoholic drinks.

Nobody should be questioned or pressured into drinking alcoholic drinks.

Employers should also think carefully about how alcohol is provided. An unlimited free bar may create different risks from providing a limited number of drinks alongside food and alcohol-free alternatives.

This does not mean employers need to police what every employee drinks. It means creating an environment where drinking excessively is not encouraged or treated as an expected part of participating.

Remind People of Expected Standards

A short, friendly reminder that it is a work event and that normal standards of respectful behaviour continue to apply can be helpful and is recommended. It should cover

·         Dignity at work.

·         Harassment and sexual harassment.

·         Equality, diversity and inclusion.

·         Social media.

·         Drugs and alcohol.

People should understand that behaviour which would be unacceptable during the working day does not suddenly become acceptable at midnight because they are at the Christmas party. In the event that an incident happens, employers will likely need to demonstrate that they took as many reasonable steps as possible to prevent it happening and this is a good starting point.

Prevent Harassment - Not Just Respond to It

Festive events can create a heightened risk of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment, particularly where alcohol is involved.

Employers should therefore think about the risks before the event.

Employers have responsibilities around preventing and addressing harassment and sexual harassment at work, and those responsibilities do not disappear simply because an event takes place outside normal working hours, or away from the usual workplace.

Make Sure Senior Leaders are Present

There should ideally be appropriate senior leadership or management representation at an employer organised event. This is not about asking managers to spend the evening monitoring their colleagues. However, somebody sufficiently senior should remain capable of responding if something goes wrong.

·         Inappropriate behaviour.

·         An employee becoming unwell.

·         An employee feeling unsafe.

·         Conflict between colleagues.

·         An issue involving the venue or a third party.

·         Arranging appropriate assistance or transport where necessary.

Senior leaders also set the tone. If managers behave professionally while still enjoying the event, employees are more likely to follow their example.

Leaders becoming the most intoxicated people in the room sends quite a different message.

Think About the Venue

Choose a venue that works for the people who are actually attending.

Consider accessibility, transport links, dietary requirements and whether employees will feel comfortable in the environment.

If employees with disabilities require reasonable adjustments, those considerations should not stop at the usual workplace.

Where clients, suppliers, venue staff or other third parties will be present, think about those interactions too. An Employers approach to preventing inappropriate behaviour should not focus solely on employee conduct.

Provide Appropriate Food and Alternatives

Ask about dietary requirements in advance rather than waiting until the event. Think about

·         Allergies.

·         Vegetarian and vegan options.

·         Religious dietary requirements.

·         Medical dietary requirements.

·         Alcohol-free food and drink options.

Avoid making assumptions about why someone requires a particular option.

Good planning means employees should not arrive at an event to discover that everybody else has been catered for except them.

Consider Transport and Getting Home Safely

Employers do not necessarily have to provide transport home after every work event, but it is sensible to consider how people are expected to leave safely.

This is particularly relevant where:

·         The event finishes late.

·         Alcohol is being provided.

·         Public transport is limited.

·         The venue is remote.

·         Employees are travelling alone.

Providing information about local transport, arranging taxis or coaches, or finishing at a reasonable time can all help.

Employees should also be reminded never to drink and drive.

Think about Photographs, Videos, and Social Media

Christmas parties inevitably generate photographs and videos. Some people will happily appear in social media posts. Others will not. Be thoughtful about taking and publishing photographs or videos, particularly on official company social media channels.

Employees should not be embarrassed by discovering that an unflattering photograph or video of them has been published publicly by their employer.

It is also worth reminding employees that social media policies continue to apply and that posting inappropriate photographs or comments involving colleagues, clients or the organisation can create problems.

Be Careful With Games, Awards and Entertainment

What seems funny to the organiser may not feel particularly funny to the person on the receiving end.

Avoid things which may embarrass employees. The same applies to Secret Santa gifts.

A workplace celebration should strengthen relationships rather than create an employee relations issue that HR has to resolve in January.

Don’t Forget those who don’t Attend

Some employees will be unable to attend because of caring responsibilities, disability, sickness absence, shift patterns, location or other commitments.

Others will simply choose not to. Christmas can be difficult for some employees.

Avoid creating a workplace culture where attendance at social events becomes linked to visibility, favouritism or career opportunities.

Where appropriate, consider other ways of recognising the wider team so that the Christmas party does not become the only form of end of the year appreciation.

If Something Happens, Deal With It

Do not dismiss inappropriate behaviour simply because "everyone had been drinking."

Alcohol may help explain someone's behaviour. It does not automatically excuse it.

If a complaint or serious concern arises, deal with it in the same fair and consistent way you would deal with another workplace concern.

Establish what happened, gather the relevant information and follow the appropriate policy/procedure where required.

Employers should avoid reaching conclusions before investigating properly.

Think About the Following Morning

If the event takes place on a working night, be clear about expectations for the following day.

Avoid informal arrangements where some employees are allowed to arrive late while others are expected to work normally unless this has been planned and communicated fairly.

If you are giving employees a later start, additional flexibility or time off following the event, make that clear in advance.

Why is this important?

A well-managed festive work event can:

·         Bring teams together.

·         Recognise employees for their contribution.

·         Strengthen working relationships.

·         Improve morale.

·         Help employees feel valued and included.

Poorly managed events can achieve precisely the opposite.

They can result in grievances, disciplinary matters, harassment complaints, damaged relationships and reputational or legal risk.

Good planning allows people to relax and enjoy themselves while ensuring that everyone feels included, respected and safe.

At AHR we have extensive experience supporting organisations with employee relations, workplace investigations, policies and wider HR matters.

You can contact us for support with all manner of HR/People issues here .