As we snowball into the festive season, talk is inevitably turning to the work Christmas party. Make sure you read this to know what you should be doing in your business to fulfil your legal duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, and this includes at social events and Christmas parties!

You’ve been working hard for the whole year and people are well and truly exhausted and in need of some motivation! Now is the time to be thinking about how you can say thank you to all your team for their hard work by throwing a Christmas party that everyone will remember, and for the right reasons!

For many bosses the prospect of the office Christmas party is enough to send them headfirst into the eggnog! Novelty jumper-clad staff fuelled by a mix of alcohol and the shedding of a lot of the last 12 months stresses and relaxed inhibitions can be a heady mix indeed – plus of course the inevitable HR investigation into (fill in the blanks here)!

You may have already been oto your Christmas party by now and if so we hope you enjoyed it and it was a great success! But if not we know that many business owners worry about Christmas parties because they can cost a lot of money, they want to make sure they appeal to all, and that things don’t get out of hand which is especially important with the recent changes to The Worker Protection Act which came into effect on the 26th of October this year – just in time for the Christmas party season!

All Employers in the UK have a legal duty to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. This change in legislation demonstrates a significant shift from ‘reactive’ to ‘proactive’ measures, as the new Act places a duty upon employers to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace upfront rather than just dealing with a complaint if and when it arises.

So let me tell you, from many years of experience, a Christmas Party is one place and time that this is more likely to happen than at any other event or time of year.

But before you all dash off to cancel the annual tinsel event in fear of employee legislation let’s not forget that a Christmas party isn’t just about getting everyone together for a jolly. Ultimately, it’s a thank you from management to the staff for all their hard work throughout the year. Your team has worked hard, you’ve hit your business goals, so now is the time to have a bit of collective fun and say thank you.

But if you worry that things may get out of hand, here are our top five top tips for keeping the Christmas party trouble-free;

• Conducting a Sexual Harassment Risk Assessment before the party is now a legal obligation that you have to fulfil. If you need a risk assessment template then get in touch.
• Depending on the risks identified putting things in place to mitigate these risks, which could be a Code of Conduct for social events, or employees signing up to a Social Events Charter, having someone on duty at the event (who is sober) and can be a point of escalation for staff if things start to get out of hand and has the skills and confidence to deal with sensitive matters.
• Training for managers at least and all employees ideally on your Legal Duty to prevent Sexual Harassment at work. This needs to happen on a regular basis so we would suggest booking these sessions in with us on an annual basis.
• It’s in everyone’s interests to have a fun but safe evening. One way to minimise risk is to control the alcohol you provide and lay on food. If having an in-person event you could run a free bar for a limited period only. Or take it a step further and hold the event during the day instead which enables you to shift the focus away from alcohol and make it more about team building and fun and puts a natural cap on drinking.
• Make sure your venue or party theme are inclusive and appealing to all. Why not give people a chance to vote on some ideas and go with what pleases the majority?
• Consider your social media policy in advance – does your company even have a social media policy?? If not it may be an idea to draft one to protect your business. Drunken or inappropriate pictures on Facebook/Instagram or LinkedIn could have a damaging impact on your brand or your staff individually. This should also include guidelines for any chat platforms you know your staff use such as Slack, Whatsapp etc, where the inevitable post party analysis and discussions will also happen. Consider whether it is appropriate and create guidelines around what is acceptable in relation to social media posting on the night or after the event, and about your business in general – and then tell your staff. They need to know what’s acceptable/what isn’t acceptable!
• If you are having an in person event – organise end of evening transport home with a fixed finish time – this is a quadruple win as it puts a cap on the evening, makes sure everyone is home safely and helps ensure that everyone is in work at a decent time and state the next day whilst feeling thankful for your overwhelming generosity!
• Be clear in advance about your expectations regarding absence the next day. Encourage people to take a day off if they don’t operate well on a lack of sleep. This will ensure that there are no surprises and if expectations are breached disciplinary action can be taken.
• Buying a special gift instead of having a party could also be an option too!

Most importantly of all enjoy it and have fun, we don’t want to be the Bah Humbugs of Christmas this year but these recent changes place a legal duty on you to prevent sexual harassment at work so please don’t ignore the importance of this at this time.

If you want to discuss your plans with us to make sure you are offering a fun but inclusive and safe event for all then why not book a call with us before the festivities begin? That way you can relax and enjoy the party feeling assured that you have everything in place that you need to. It shouldn’t take long and could help you manage any potential Christmas party headaches.