Christmas Again!

At this very moment any number of employees are looking forward to the office Christmas party, team meal or other Christmas “do”. Let me make a prediction, after the event some people will have sore heads, some will wonder what they said and did the previous night and some will be distraught because of what they said or did. After Christmas, some employees will be disciplined, some will lose their jobs and a small number will find that they are splashed across the newspapers because of their appalling (normally sexual) behaviour whilst under the influence.

Why am I so confident that my prediction will come true? Simply because it happens every year without fail.

People start drinking and enjoy themselves, some have no stop button and drink until they are out of control. When out of control the normal social constraints and rules that we live by fall away and people behave in a way that can be socially unacceptable.

By the way, I am not on some sort of moral crusade. Having a drink with the people you work with is a good idea for all sorts of reasons and for most people it is relaxing and enjoyable. However, relaxing and having fun with our colleagues shouldn’t mean we lose our heads – or our jobs!

ACAS have prepared guidance to ensure that the Christmas party is a happy event and this is a summary of part of their advice:

Do not put pressure on staff to buy raffle tickets; some religions forbid gambling. Make sure none of the prizes are going to be unacceptable to those who don’t drink or eat meat.

Take positive steps to stop people drinking and driving, including ending the party before the public transport closes down, providing phone numbers of reputable taxi companies or even hiring a minibus to ferry staff home.

Employers should be aware that they are likely to be liable for acts of discrimination committed at the office party, such as sexual harassment or taunting people from minorities.

Some employers react to the risk of being held liable for the actions of drunk employees by cancelling Christmas. This is certainly one way out, but it’s not very good for morale.

The real trick is to ensure that all staff understand that they are responsible for their own behaviour. Try to organise an event that is of interest to a majority of those expected to attend, not just the normal party animals, and don’t put too much temptation in the way of those who are easily led. Free drinks all night is a recipe for disaster. Senior staff should be aware of the risks of something going wrong and should interfere if they spot a problem before it becomes a major incident.

Employers should also be aware that turning a blind eye to some behaviour and disciplining employees for other behaviour is likely to cause problems

The bottom line for everyone to remember is a work “do” is still work. People who forget are likely to pay the consequences.