How to avoid an end of year party disaster
Employees can gather and have fun at the end of the working year without endangering their jobs by heeding a few simple guidelines.
End of year work parties: everyone unwinding after a busy year, celebrating shared triumphs, and a few gripes, having a few well deserved drinks. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, we’ve all heard horror stories about events which became not bonding celebrations but divisive debacles.
As Maurice Blackburn lawyers write, “these parties can be notorious for getting out of hand, with staff taking advantage of the free booze and sometimes behaving inappropriately or even getting injured”.
“And while your employer has an obligation to provide a safe environment, there can still be consequences for an employee’s bad behaviour.”
Employees can undo months or years of goodwill – or risk their jobs – by losing their composure at year’s end functions.
When you’ve been overworked, like many education staff, the likelihood you do or say something risky increases. Put several people feeling this way together, add alcohol, and the result can be combustible. Healthy venting can become aggressive, jokes can be misconstrued, feelings can be hurt…
The serious stuff: Maurice Blackburn’s festive advice for employees
Under the law, a work party is still considered part of the workplace. So, when you’re starting to let your hair down, sipping a glass of bubbles and watching Kevin from Accounting hit the dancefloor, remember the following:
when you’re at a work party, you’re still considered to be at work
the same expectations around your behaviour in the office or workplace apply to your behaviour at the party
this applies even if the party is held outside normal work hours and away from your usual workplace
employers can discipline or potentially dismiss workers who have behaved inappropriately at a work party.
Maurice Blackburn adds a cautionary note about social media.
“What you choose to post on your social media accounts when you’re not at work is entirely up to you. But since a work party still counts as being at work, you must abide by your company’s social media policy. Simply put, it might be okay to post a nice photo of you with some colleagues, but it’s not okay to share anything that could reflect negatively on any colleagues or your workplace. For example, sharing content that shows yourself or colleagues extremely drunk or behaving poorly. If your social media posts are deemed inappropriate, this could constitute unlawful behaviour and could lead to disciplinary action.”
Less serious, but just as important: Scout job site’s suggestions
· Fun, not fury Try not to complain, gossip, bitch, criticise, scheme or plot. Christmas parties are to be enjoyed – they’re not an opportunity for you to vent about everything wrong with your office. Put everything aside for a few hours and enjoy the hospitality.
· Dancing distance Keep “at least a ruler’s length from anybody else” to avoid any claims of sexual harassment.
· Mingle Speak to those you don’t normally get the opportunity to, colleagues outside your normal ‘crew’.
· Don’t bore in Don’t bog anyone down for long periods and keep the chat appropriate. Your boss might want to hear about your kids, but not your past break ups.
· Alcohol: Know your limits Line the stomach before you start, pace yourself, drink water between rounds and try not to mix drinks. Don’t be the one passing out in the toilets at the end of the night or promising your colleagues unrealistic pay rises.
· Thank the organiser (not just the boss!) Go and thank the person who organised the Christmas party – they’ll seriously appreciate it. With scheduling, budgets and requests to consider, Christmas parties can be an absolute pain to plan, and often the one that does all the running around gets forgotten about.