How do you, as an employer, show appreciation towards your staff without putting them on the naughty list this year? The team at LDHR has pooled our combined 65 years’ of experience in the field to ensure you avoid these seven common holiday party mistakes and a potential HR disaster.

By Christina Gellos

The holiday season is upon us and for an employer that means it’s time to plan the year-end festive celebration for the office. It’s no secret that the holidays are the most stressful time of year for employees. Approximately 42% of employees claimed that balancing holiday and work obligations makes the holidays more stressful for them than any other time of year according to a 2015 survey by MetLife insurance.

Smart employers treat the holiday party as an opportunity to show their staff appreciation and celebrate all of the team’s hard work and dedication throughout the year. A festive team event geared towards fun and activity allows colleagues to unwind and connect with one another on a personal level, without having to make awkward small talk.

According to a behavioural study led by the London School of Economics, it was revealed that employees who felt appreciated and connected with their team were more likely to be engaged and work harder than those who felt the opposite. 

A typical holiday party consists of music, socializing, cocktails, followed by dinner with drinks. It is no surprise that one too many drinks had by even the quietest introvert can turn them into the life (and talk) of the party. This has the power to generate chatter through the next business day, or year, in some cases. 

“More bad behaviour occurs at company holiday parties than at any other time of year,” attorney Mark Kluger told the Society for Human Resource Management blog. “The combination of the holiday season, pent-up feelings about co-workers and, most importantly, alcohol often lead to uninhibited behaviour ranging from sexual harassment to expressions of intolerance.” 

The annual holiday party can easily become a liability, and as an employer you may be legally responsible for your employees’ over-consumption of alcohol at the staff party, particularly if it happens on company property.

So how do you, as an employer show appreciation towards your staff without putting them on the naughty list this year? The team at LDHR has pooled our combined 65 years’ of experience in the field to ensure you avoid these seven common holiday party mistakes and a potential HR disaster:

1.     Avoid having an open bar. 

While it may seem like a generous way to reward your staff, the open bar scenario almost never bodes well. By limiting the amount of alcohol being served, you’ll avoid turning Blitzen into Blitzed-Dan on the dance floor! Shift the interest to an activity such as bowling, an escape room, holiday games or music and entertainment to switch the focus away from drinking. Offer door prizes, open Secret Santa gifts, or award a prize to the winning team. 

 2.     Limit drink tickets.

If you decide to provide drink tickets, limit the number you give to one or two per person. Host a sit-down dinner and serve plenty of appetizers and desserts. Perhaps include a signature drink with a low alcohol content (read: affordable cranberry cocktail mix) to help curb the “not-so-Saint” Nick effects of alcohol on your jolly guests. Provide a bottle of wine to share at the table and if employees want to drink more, offer them a cash bar. This may (although not always) preclude your staff from drinking too much. Finally, remind the bartenders and servers to keep an eye out for, and give them permission to cut off, those employees who may look inebriated. It will be a group effort to ensure your team’s safety. 

3.     Reviewing employee guidelines in advance.

Have a large team? Or perhaps you work with independent contractors and seasonal staff? All of the more reason to remind the team of your employee expectations. Before the party, circulate a memo. Remind the group of your sexual harassment policies and that these rules apply to events beyond the routine 9 to 5 environment. Remind supervisors of their responsibilities and what to do if they witness or hear of potential harassment. It’s not a “buzz kill” either to set a dress code and include an end time on the party invite. Your employees will thank you when the photobooth pictures emerge online the next day!

 4.     Don’t be a Scrooge when it comes to taxi and Uber vouchers.

Limit the risk. If your holiday party includes alcohol, be sure to allow your employees to expense their Uber ride home. Alternatively, provide a shuttle ride or taxi vouchers for your staff. It is your responsibility as the host to ensure everyone gets home safely. If budget is an issue, at least make a point to be vigilant. Withhold the car keys of any employee who has consumed one too many, and pay for their ride home. Ideally, however, this service will be offered to everyone.

 5.    Avoid scheduling the event on a Friday or Saturday.

If employees know they must go to work the next morning, they may be less inclined to over-indulge at the company holiday party. By scheduling the event between Monday and Thursday you could reduce the amount of alcohol consumed. Since this is only a preventative measure, we cannot guarantee any employees will not require a ‘frosty’ visit to the HR manager’s office the next day. For this reason, we highly recommend you provide a taxi, Uber or shuttle ride service home.

6.     Why a plus one is the gift that keeps on giving. 

A sure-fire way to avoid potentially embarrassing or inappropriate behaviour is to allow each employee to bring a plus one. If they bring their spouse or a date, they are more likely to try and impress them than over-indulge on the mulch wine. And while this probably goes without saying, we advise you save the mistletoe for your archway at home, since it’s traditionally bad luck to refuse a kiss if you stand beneath it with another!

 7.     Host a yule-tide family-friendly gathering.

Plan the holiday party during the day and host the event at a family-friendly location. Allow employees to bring their families and provide activities, entertainment and prizes. Better yet, host the event as a way to raise money for those in need. Collect toys, non-perishable food items, or children’s winter clothing for a holiday-related cause. Keep in mind that if children are attending, alcohol should not be served. 

Good luck with the festive party planning and from all of us at the LDHR Team, Happy Holidays!

About the Author

Christina Gellos is an HR Consultant with LDHR. She has 15 years’ corporate human resources experience and built her career in the financial services sector.

Her experience includes business partnering, talent acquisition and retention, job evaluation, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, and reorganization.  

She is known for her personal calm demeanor and ability to create successful business partnerships. Christina enjoys working with clients to support their strategic objectives and develop or enhance their HR practices. She currently resides in Markham, Ontario with her husband and kids, enjoys a nice cup of hot coffee to start the day and baking. Sarcasm is her superpower.