Company Holiday Party Do's & Don'ts: An HR Manager's Guide
Company Holiday Party Do's & Don'ts: An HR Manager's Guide
Company holiday parties are notorious for incidents involving overindulgence of alcohol, inappropriate behavior, and a whole host of nightmares for a human resources manager. The editorial team at Onlinehumanresources.net interviewed dozens of HR professionals and managers to share a list of the top Do's and Don'ts for company holiday parties.
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) December 14, 2010
It's the season of celebration and company holiday parties. Holiday parties are notorious for employee overindulgence and rank among the top of the list of an HR Manager's greatest fears, especially when alcoholic beverages are being served. Of course, an HR manager's job is to balance the interests of the company with the well being of it's employees. The editorial team at Onlinehumanresources.net has discussed this topic with dozens of HR professionals and business managers and they've gleaned some useful bits of advice and a few important legal tips all HR managers should know about as well.
Common Sense Advice
One fundamental role of an HR manager is to help management create a positive workplace culture. When completing their human resources degree, HR managers learned about organizational psychology and workplace culture development. Holiday parties are a high impact event in terms of formation of company culture. For this reason, it is crucial that the holiday party not be perceived as having any cultural or religious bias, which is why the term “holiday party” is used rather than “Christmas Party." This approach to celebrating the season promotes a message of inclusiveness and diversity. It is also important to ensure that the party is highly positive in nature and should highlight achievements. Do use the party as a means of recognition for high performing or exemplary employees; however, keep talk of business initiatives and figures to a minimum. An effective holiday party is one that allows employees to take their company "hats" off and get to know their co-worker's spouses and significant others or to chat with people in other departments; it should feel like a celebration rather than a business meeting.
The Alcohol Factor
Company management and supervisors at all levels should receive some form of human resources training to set guidelines and inform them of specific legal issues and measures to be taken to keep employees safe when alcohol is served. Here are some top tips from the interviews:
1. Do communicate that the event is voluntary and clearly state what time the company party will be concluded, which reduces liability if incidents occur. Ensure employees are aware that disciplinary action can be taken if they become intoxicated, belligerent, or out of line.
2. Do provide vouchers upon employee arrival for a maximum of one or two drinks.
3. Don't allow management or supervisors to purchase alcohol for employees during or after an event. Also, ask that management not participate in post party gatherings in order to ensure a clear distinction between the company event and any continued celebration.
4. Do assign “watchers” among management and the HR team to observe any signs that employees are becoming inappropriate or visibly intoxicated. Ensure that they have proper training to intervene and get them home safely without driving under the influence.
5. Do ensure management is aware of major potential liabilities such as: a car accident involving injury to the employee and a third party, state worker's compensation laws that pertain to company events, employer negligence claims due to reasonable measures not being taken to control excessive drinking, or sexual harassment claims arising from alcohol consumption at a company event.
It is important that there is awareness of the potential liabilities; however this should never overshadow the genuine responsibility and concern for the wellbeing and safety of employees. While planning a company holiday party, keep these tips in mind. Above all, make the celebration an event that has a positive impact on workplace culture, make it fun, and make it safe.
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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebcompanyholidayparty/12-2010/prweb4829444.htm
