Festive Season – To Party or not to Party?
By Dawn Robson
The festive season is fast approaching. For many employers this time of year raises the question, ‘To party or not to party?’.
How should your company approach diverse holiday customs and the annual Holiday staff party? The diversity of our workplaces means that while one employee celebrates Christmas, the other celebrates Hanukah, while still others neither believe nor celebrate the season at all.
So, should companies still host a holiday party? And if you do, what are some of the steps you should take to ensure that it is an inclusive celebration and not a negative event or liability.
The following is a short list of things you may wish to be mindful of in order to mitigate any potential issues associated with an office Holiday Party or event:
- If the employer is hosting the event, whether at the office or at another location, the employer still has responsibility for the safety of their employees even if it’s outside of working hours;
- Responsibility can/does extend to how employees make their way home after an event;
- Social media today ensures that negative or embarrassing details will travel across town or globally within the blink of an eye;
- Not everyone feels comfortable socializing outside of work or with co-workers and superiors – ensure no one feels obligated to attend or ostracized if they choose not to attend.
To avoid any potential liabilities or long-term negative impact on the workplace environment during the festive season, it’s important for employers to set boundaries so that it can be a time for all to relax and celebrate. Enjoying some time with co-workers can be stress-free if expectations are clearly communicated to all those planning to attend. Have a clear start and end time, provide safe ways for all to get home (i.e. taxi vouchers) and remind employees that inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated (bullying, sexual harassment, intoxication, etc.).
What if a holiday party is not possible or an employer does not wish to be liable for an event? Employers can also find other ways to acknowledge their teams.
A survey completed by glassdoor.com found that 73% of adults surveyed in the US (over 2,000 participants) would prefer a cash bonus for the holidays over a party, 36% wanted paid time off, 60% a salary increase and 29% grocery gift cards. Other ways to celebrate the holidays include donating the funds to an employee-chosen charity, adopting a family and assisting/volunteering at a community holiday event.
The best way to know for sure what might work with your team is to ask your employees about how they might wish to celebrate the holidays in the workplace.
From all of us at Chemistry Consulting Group, we wish you a wonderful Christmas/Holiday time.