Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 31 | Page 20

20 | Aycliffe Today Business
Christmas is
coming – don’t be
naughty, be nice!
With Endeavour Partnership employment solicitor Laura Kirkpatrick...
W
e know that you’re a well-
behaved lot and we don’t want
to be party-poopers because
Christmas parties are always a
time to let your hair down.
But, it’s also worth keeping in mind some
tips to make sure none of your team ends up
on the naughty list!
Fancy a tipple?
Of course you do, after all it is the
season… and many employers at a
Christmas party will provide celebratory
drinks and even nicer employers will provide
a free bar throughout the evening. But we
all know that lots of free drinks can mean
lots of drunk staff. Did you know that it’s the
employer’s duty to remind staff that they
should take it easy? It is!
If a member of staff becomes disruptive
due to drinking, take a moment to sit them
down, get them a glass of water and make
sure they get home safely.
It goes without saying make sure junior
employees under the age of 18 years are not
drinking.
Don’t be a bully
An obvious one really, but even though
away from the office, employers need to
know that they are liable for the actions of
their employees. Unfortunately issues can
arise at a Christmas party as all members of
staff are in one place.
Any acts of bullying, harassment or
discrimination are no more acceptable at a
party than in the office.
If any issues do arise, best practice is to
send that employee home and deal with the
incident when you are back in the office and
able to implement the company’s disciplinary
procedures.
Promises, promises
Remind your managers not promise any
early Christmas presents at the party. The
best advice is not to discuss promotions
or pay rises with employees at the party,
as words of encouragement could be
misinterpreted. Tongues can be looser out of
the office after a glass of fizz or two.
Tweet, tweet
The dreaded Twitter and Facebook posts!
Almost everything ends up on social media
these days and no doubt there will be video
footage of the MD break-dancing or a photo
of a colleague looking a little worse for wear.
However even if it’s funny at the time,
employers should be aware that posting
photos without consent of those appearing
in the photo could present data protection
issues.
In addition, embarrassing photos could
damage relationships between colleagues
or even constitute bullying. Even worse, the
business’ reputation could be brought into
disrepute.
The best thing to do is to give your team a
little nudge before the party and remind them
of any social media policy that is in place.
Home time
Employers have a duty of care to their
employees, even when the Christmas party
is over and an employee is on his or her way
home. Therefore, consider booking registered
taxis for the journey home or ending the
party whilst public transport is still running.
The morning after
The dreaded next day... hangovers all
round? Decide in advance how lateness or
absences will be treated with regards to the
morning after. Make this clear to employees
before the party starts and if there are any
plans to deduct wages for lateness, only
ever do so where the employment contract
allows.
Critically, ensure that all employees are fit
for work when they arrive at the office the
next day.
But why is this all so important?
Looking after your employees is vital, as
is protecting the interests of the business
and disciplining where unacceptable
behaviour occurs. Additionally, employers
can be vicariously liable for the actions of
its employees and therefore it is important
that acceptable standards of behaviour are
maintained throughout the festive season.
A Christmas party should be enjoyed, but
don’t let one night create an entire advent
calendar of problems – let us be the first to
wish you a Merry Christmas!
Laura Kirkpatrick
Endeavour Partnership
www.endeavour.law