The work’s Christmas staff party is a great opportunity to celebrate a year of success and gather colleagues together in a more relaxed environment… but as an employer, how do you keep everyone happy at the staff party, while making sure there are no embarrassments, regrets or even disciplinaries the next day?
Here are our top ten tips for hosting a Christmas staff party that won’t leave anyone on the ‘naughty’ list:
- Make sure that everyone feels included, especially if they don’t share the Christian values associated with Christmas.
- Declare a ‘no pressure’ policy, so nobody feels obliged to attend if they don’t feel comfortable.
- Make sure catering covers vegetarians, vegans, those that abstain from alcohol and any special dietary needs – and that everything’s clearly labelled.
- Relax the rules – while it’s an extension of the workplace in some regards, you still want people to have fun!
- However, while point 4 is important, you still need to advise employees that certain standards of behaviour are still expected!
- You could provide written guidance on personal conduct e.g. no aggressive or bullying behaviour, and no harassment – and make it clear that if these rules are contravened, it will be dealt with in the same way as if it occurred during normal working circumstances.
- Don’t lay on a free bar – it makes any rules under point 6 more difficult to uphold!
- However, it is Christmas, so you want to get into the spirit a little… offer to buy the first round of drinks, or provide a bottle of wine for each table.
- Try to assign a designated non-drinker from management to keep a subtle eye on staff without spoiling any legitimate fun.
- If the party falls on a work night, clearly state your expectations for attendance in the morning – even if that means letting everyone come in an hour later, or providing a free breakfast.
Finding the balance between Santa and Scrooge can feel like a challenge at Christmas, but these tips will help everyone to have a fantastic time while allowing you to relax and enjoy it too.
Don’t forget dot2dot customers also have access to our Legal Advice Helpline to assist you with this subject or any other HR issue.
If you are not currently a dot2dot customer please do not hesitate to contact the dot2dot team on 01204 570 390.