With LESS THAN 130 days until Christmas, the clock is ticking for one of the biggest events on the work calendar. That’s right friends, the anticipated Work Christmas Party. So, when it comes time to plan your work function, what steps can you follow to minimise a *legal hangover*? Our resident expert, Lisa has some tips.
- Set a clear start and finish time for the function.
- Arrange for your venue/caterer to also serve non-alcoholic drinks, including water and organise for food/nibbles.
- Ensure your venue/caterer adheres to responsible service of alcohol guidelines.
- Nominate someone to be responsible for monitoring employee behaviour at the party and to also oversee the responsible service of alcohol.
- Send a reminder to all staff on the day of the function reminding them of the expected behaviour and their responsibilities at the party.
SO, what happens if, despite the best of planning, you discover after the party that some employees enjoyed themselves a little too much, and someone has made a complaint. What do you do?
- It is important to remember that allegations regarding inappropriate conduct at any function organised and funded by an employer should be dealt with the same as any other allegation of misconduct at work.
- Just because it didn’t occur on work premises doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to be investigated.
- It is important that consideration is given to things such as the amount of alcohol served, how it was served and where the misconduct occurred (before, during or after the function).
- Things can get really tricky, really quickly. So, make sure you follow a well thought out process.
Do you need some HR help? Get in touch with our HR Manager, Lisa on (07) 4638 3599 for a free, one-hour, no-obligation consultation.