Compliance Conundrum: Best Practices for Managing the Office Holiday Party

It’s that time again for holiday cheer and bad behavior at office holiday parties. For human resources leaders, this can be a stressful time of year. So, how can employers deter issues at the holiday party before they occur? Here are a few tips for managing the office holiday party. 

1. Remind Employees of Company Policies

Remember, an office holiday party is still considered “the workplace” for legal purposes. So, before the party starts, remind employees that the company’s policies regarding dress code, harassment, respectful work environment and other similar policies apply at the office holiday party as well. Set the expectation that employees conduct themselves accordingly. 

2. Encourage Moderation

An open bar is an invitation for some to drink to excess. To manage that, providing employees with 1 or 2 drink tickets for the evening can help. Even when taking this approach, there may still be some who overindulge. For those employees who do, it is advisable for the company to have a discrete way for employees to get home safely by cab or uber and receive reimbursement from the company afterward.  

3. Safety First

The most important thing is making sure to take care of the health and safety of the employees, which includes workplace harassment and violence. Employees who are out of control or behaving inappropriately should be removed from the party, put in a cab, and sent home. 

4. Monitor Behavior

And, when an employee is behaving badly, or has imbibed too much, sometimes (most of the time?) the employee doesn’t recognize it. Nobody wants to be the party police, but it’s a good idea to have someone at the party keeping an eye out for bad behavior so that it can be addressed quickly. This can limit company liability and cut down on the complaints that will make their way to HR in the days following the party. 

5. Include Activities and Food

Make sure your office holiday party doesn’t revolve around the bar. Include activities and food to keep employees interacting with each other and focusing on something other than the next drink.   

And then finally, Happy Holidays!