Christmas Party Tips for Businesses

It’s that time of year again when most businesses take an afternoon or evening for a well earned Christmas party leading up to the Christmas break.

A lot of employers go into this time hoping for the best but expecting that may not always be the case! Some prior planning can assist you to go from hoping for the best and expecting the worst, to expecting that it will all be just fine.

1. Have a well documented policy on behaviour expectations for work related events. Often we just expect that employees will know how to behave and that it comes down to common sense, however this is not always the case. At any rate having such a policy and circulating as a reminder prior to your Christmas event will ensure that the line has been re-drawn and it will be fresh in employees minds.

2. Sexual harassment, harassment and bullying can crop up at work events in certain circumstances, either intentionally or through ignorance or other ways. Ensure your policy (point number 1), reiterates the behavioural expectations in relation to these matters and that this behaviour is unacceptable.

3. Consider providing training to your employees in acceptable and unacceptable behaviours and give them an easy way to call out this behaviour. Sometimes employees see things that aren’t right but aren’t comfortable or don’t know how to address in a non-awkward way. A unilaterally understood expectation and easy method to address it is a great tool in stamping out this behaviour.

4. Transport – depending on your location if there are not a lot of public transport options, consider providing transport assistance such as the Company Uber account code, cabcharges or provide transport such as a bus etc. With some of these options you will need some rules around use (this can be incorporated into the policy at point number 1). This may seem like a unwarranted company expense, however if you are hosting a Christmas party and providing alcohol, the obligation does rest with you to ensure that nobody drinks and drives. Not to mention the cost an employee drink driving offence or accident (or worse) could cost the company, especially if your employees need a driving license to perform their roles.

5. Think about the venue, setting, type of alcohol and food for your event to ensure the focus is not on drinking. An event incorporated with an activity like lawn bowls, bocce or croquet can be fun and gives attendees something else to do. Ensure there is plenty of food and provide plenty of non-alcoholic options. There are a lot of low alcohol or zero alcohol wines and beers now that people may partake in as an option if available.

6. Nominate a senior person in the company to be responsible for monitoring behaviour and deal with any issues that arise.

If you need assistance with policy or training to address the above, or anything else, contact Buzz HR today for an obligation free consultation

By Sarah Clausen Managing Director Buzz HR Australia