For many, this year will be the first in-person office Christmas party since 2019. It’s the first opportunity to bring everyone together and finish the year on a high, but for employers, there’s potential for a hangover that lasts far beyond the next morning.

Bringing together a large group of colleagues outside the usual work environment and adding alcohol into the mix can be a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, some employees will also see it as an opportunity to air frustrations they have sat on all year. Corinne Curtis, Head of HR – Third Sector at WorkNest, provides SMEToday’s readers with some top tips on the HR disasters to avoid, including why you should try and curb talk on pay during the cost of living crisis.

Even though the Christmas party is often held off-site outside of working hours, the conduct of employees at the Christmas party is generally considered, from a legal standpoint, to be done “in the course of employment”, making the employer vicariously liable.

With this in mind, here are eight tips for avoiding HR disasters at your next Christmas do.

Invite everyone with no expectations

To prevent any suggestion of discrimination, be sure to extend the invitation to all members of staff. This includes homeworkers, those on maternity or paternity leave, and those on sick leave, depending, of course, on the nature of the person’s illness.

If you’re planning to invite people’s partners, be mindful not to discriminate against anyone based on sexual orientation.

Consider how you can better accommodate people

It’s easy to forget that not everyone celebrates Christmas, drinks, or can stay out late.

Think about ways of celebrating that are perhaps more inclusive, allowing more people to attend and enjoy themselves. Simple adjustments such as switching out an evening event for a lunchtime meal, providing plenty of alcohol-free options, or framing the event as an end-of-year celebration may better suit everyone and prevent anyone from feeling excluded.

Keep it clean and cater to everyone

Give careful consideration to where the event will be held, what food and drink will be available and what entertainment will be provided.

When deciding on a venue, think; Can it cater to any dietary requirements? Is it suitable for those under 18? Is it accessible for those with mobility needs?

Ensure that any entertainment is appropriate. If you decide to hire a comedian, for example, check that the jokes don’t venture too close to the knuckle. You may be held legally liable for material that is racist, sexist, homophobic or otherwise mocks a protected characteristic.

Make your position clear

If you don’t have a specific policy in place regarding employee behaviour at work events, circulate a memo to all staff in advance.

Your Christmas party memo should clearly lay down what is expected of employees, explain that instances of misconduct will result in disciplinary action, and draw employees’ attention to other relevant policies, including bullying and harassment and social media.

Keep a close eye on alcohol consumption

Ensure alcohol consumption doesn’t get out of control. For example, don’t have an open bar for the whole event to restrict the number of free alcoholic drinks you do give.

Remind employees of your drug and alcohol policy ahead of time and make it clear to staff before the event that drunken or disorderly behaviour will not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action.

Alcohol-fuelled behaviour may be treated as a gross misconduct offence, which may result in dismissal without notice.

Keep a firm grasp on potential disciplinary situations

Christmas parties can be a catalyst for Employment Tribunal claims. Boundaries between people’s professional and personal lives can become blurred, which can give rise to confrontations, discriminatory remarks, risqué jokes, and inappropriate sexual advances

Be aware of potential disciplinary situations emerging so that you can try to avert issues before they arise.

Don’t discipline any employees at the actual event. If necessary, send them home and take the relevant steps at the first opportunity when back in the workplace.

Consider how employees will get to and from the event

Ask all employees to make travel arrangements ahead of the event. For example, remind them to arrange for someone to pick them up afterwards, or consider providing taxis to ensure staff aren’t stranded and get home safely.

Remember, police ramp up their surveillance in the lead-up to Christmas, so for this reason and in the interest of safety, enforce a strict no drinking and driving policy. Keep in mind that overdoing it may mean they are still under the influence the next morning, so remind employees to take it easy, as they will need to be able to turn up to work the following day without putting themselves at risk.

Curb talk about pay

Due to the cost-of-living crisis, pay is at the forefront of many people’s minds right now and employees may bring this up in a more casual setting or after a few drinks.

It’s never wise to engage in conversations about salary or promotions at work events – leave any discussions of this nature for when you’re back on site. The last thing you want is to make promises you can’t keep or spark resentment between colleagues.