Making your Christmas parties law-suit free

13/06/2008

A recent report by Peninsula Business Services Ltd suggest that around 80% of office bosses will not be organising Christmas parties this year, partly due to legal hangovers from past events.

The flowing booze and the lowering inhibitions have resulted in more than a sore head for many employers, when the firm has received a harassment complaint after office Christmas parties.

3,500 businesses were surveyed by Peninsula Business Services Ltd, who found that a whopping 89% of employers had received a harassment-based complaint after a Christmas party.

But there are easy ways of avoiding these kinds of complaints, and ensuring your Christmas parties result in success and not a court case ...

1. Ban table-dancing and hide the photocopier – alcohol, tables and electrical equipment don't mix, so make it clear the office furniture will not be involved in your Christmas parties.

2. Leave the mistletoe at home – a survey showed that while 80% of women would laugh off a drunken male colleague making a pass under the miseltoe, 13% would lodge a complaint.

3. Practice damage limitations – provide plenty of non-alcoholic drinks and food, to help mop up the alcohol and stave off the worst of the drunken excesses (and embarrassment the next day).

Follow these simple tips, and you should have a Christmas party worth remembering ... with no photocopied mementos.