With the holiday season fast approaching, here is some insight on how to handle the pitfalls of the Christmas party.
How should employers deal with staff who attend work suffering the after-effects of a few too many mulled wines at the office party? It is important that employers check and renew contracts and policies relating to alcohol at work and to set clear expectations of behaviour, especially in party season.
Employers may wish to take steps to ensure that the work Christmas party doesn’t end up producing more than just a sore head the next morning. The recent case of Shelbourne v Cancer Research UK provides some reassurance for employers about their liability for accidents at work social events, but it also demonstrates the potential for serious consequences when a company-run social gets out of hand.
However, while employees may not always want their Christmas party antics permanently recorded and made available for all to see, as a general rule you do not need to approach every attendee to obtain a written consent to take photographs of them. If required, a simple process can be implemented, allowing employees to ask photographers directly not to take their photo, and it might be wise to revisit and re-circulate social media and device usage policies to all employees to make it clear about what they post after the social.
Commonplace issues such as conflicting holiday requests can often be a source of office tensions, but it comes as a surprise to many that, if this is handled incorrectly, employers could leave themselves open to discrimination accusations. When faced with conflicting holiday requests clear justification for any refusal should be provided so you are not seen to favour one employee over another.
