With Christmas fast approaching, many of us will be in somewhat of a frenzy shopping for gifts and putting up decorations. On top of this, there’s still several weeks left at work to power through and for HR managers, the pinnacle event in the professional calendar to organise: the Christmas party.
The office Christmas party should provide employees with the opportunity to let their hair down and build strong working relationships. However, high spirits mixed with alcohol can lead to headaches for HR managers who are tasked with organising a successful workplace celebration.
If you’re an employer or member of your company’s HR department, it pays to be prepared for the festive season. Here are HR Star’s top tips to prevent unnecessary HR headaches from getting between your company and a successful office Christmas party:
- Provide clear guidance on the type of behaviour expected and ensure that staff understand that the Christmas party is still a professional event.
- Advise employees to make arrangements for travelling home if applicable. Perhaps you could even pre-book taxis from the venue for your team?
- Ensure there are a range of refreshments available – including soft drinks – to cater for everyone.
- Consider inclusivity and discrimination when planning entertainment for the evening.
- Reiterate guidelines around social media if applicable, so your employees are aware of what they can and cannot post.
- Try and avoid any unnecessary absences by hosting the party on a Friday and giving your employees two days in which to ‘recover’ before they need to be back in the office again.
- If your party does fall on a weekday, provide clear guidance of what is expected by your employees the following day as well as any post-party ‘perks’ you might be offering to them, such as a later start in the morning or an earlier finish.
- Finally, don’t forget to use the event to celebrate the accomplishments of your employees as well as the business at large. Not only is this a fantastic gesture, it can also inspire your team for the year-ahead: knowing the success the business has achieved due to the team’s collective effort encourages everyone to look forward to another great year. Plus, contextualise goals for the incoming quarter.
For more advice on how to navigate the minefield of the workplace Christmas party, email [email protected] to speak to a member of our team.
