Christmas is traditionally a time to eat, drink and be merry but, with 9 out of 10 employers cancelling their Christmas parties last year, perhaps the festive season is not such an enjoyable time for businesses. Poor productivity is the main concern for employers in the run up to the Christmas holiday but, when you take into account employee absence due to overindulgence, inappropriate behaviour at the Christmas party, and potential harassment or discrimination cases, the season of Goodwill can seem like a minefield!

Did you know that, as an employer, you have a ‘duty of care' towards your employees and may be held responsible for their actions while under the influence at the Christmas party? This can be quite a scary thought, especially considering the fact that a survey of almost 5000 businesses* revealed that 86% of employers have received a complaint from staff due to an incident at a Christmas party.

Mistletoe can provoke complaints of sexual harassment, a free bar may be regarded as condoning overindulgence and could offend people on religious grounds, while an evening party may not be ‘family friendly', excluding those with dependants to care for. The aftermath of the party is also a cause for concern: in 2004 nearly 1 million employees took sick leave due to overindulgence at the office party, costing businesses around £65million. Bearing all this in mind, it is easy to see where problems can arise!

If businesses have policies and procedures in place which cover key issues, such as discipline and grievance, bullying and harassment, and absence, they are in a much better position to handle these issues, which can crop up at any time, not just at

Christmas!  Local firm Practical HR helps organisations to achieve this. Paula Fisher, Managing Director, says: "over the years we have seen almost everything - from claims of discrimination and harassment to the employee who wanted to take their boss to an employment tribunal after he was promised a substantial pay rise at the office party and it failed to materialise once his boss had sobered up!"

"Christmas is supposed to be a time of celebration, so we provide our clients with a Party Policy as well as other supporting policies in order to protect both employers and employees and ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable time at their 2007 office party. We also provide support to help clients deal with any issue that may arise."

The Practical HR Party and Social Events Policy can be downloaded from www.hr-in-a-box.co.uk for a small admin fee or, if you have any concerns, you can talk directly to a Practical HR consultant on 01702 332160

*By Peninsula BusinessWise, 2006