{"id":2545,"date":"2023-12-10T16:52:38","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T16:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2545"},"modified":"2025-06-26T16:35:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T15:35:56","slug":"your-companys-christmas-party-what-the-law-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/your-companys-christmas-party-what-the-law-says","title":{"rendered":"Work Christmas party dos and don’ts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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\"Here's<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It\u2019s December. The time of year when most employees\u2019 eyes turn towards Christmas and the jewel in the crown of the company\u2019s social calendar: the work Christmas party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a chance to eat, drink, and be merry\u2026and who\u2019s to say otherwise? Your guys deserve to let their hair down for a bit. It\u2019s heartening to see people relaxing and bonding over a mince pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But \u2013 and we don\u2019t want to dampen the Christmas spirit too much here \u2013 the potential fallout from staff indulging in one too many sherries can hit your business hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If things do get out of hand, then \u2018gross misconduct\u2019 and \u2018disciplinary action\u2019 can make for two pretty unwelcome party guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Work Christmas party dos and don’ts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, when it comes to company knees-ups, do you know your responsibilities as an employer? What\u2019s deemed appropriate behaviour for your staff and what\u2019s not? Who\u2019s culpable if someone gets roaring drunk and offends the managing director\u2019s wife with a rude Santa joke?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first thing to know is, in the eyes of the law, office parties are still considered ‘work’. Even those held outside office hours and not on your premises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parties are part of office life and employees are expected to attend. As such, the employer\u2019s responsibilities to its staff don\u2019t change. For example, in sexual harassment cases and complaints about employee behaviour at parties, courts still hold the employer liable<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sobering thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So you need to keep an eye on what\u2019s going on. If you\u2019re hosting your work Christmas party, and you’re providing alcohol, you\u2019re responsible for your guests\u2019 consumption and what they do during and after the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you want everyone to have a good time (it is<\/em> a party after all), you don\u2019t want to encourage anyone to drink the bar dry. Err on the side of caution and make sure there are enough games and entertainment to keep people busy, and plenty of non-alcoholic drink available. It\u2019s a good idea to provide some food too \u2013 it’ll help soak up the excess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re holding your Christmas party mid-week, you can remind your employees that hangover-induced sickies the next day at work will not be appreciated by you or their colleagues. The promise of bacon rolls when they get in always goes down well too…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ho-ho-oh…<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Putting your employees\u2019 health and safety at risk doesn\u2019t sit well with either the law or your employers\u2019 liability<\/a> insurer. As the planner and host of your staff Christmas party, you can be held responsible for things like fairy lights trailing across the floor and slippery walkways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the potential for causing damage to peoples’ persons and property, more companies are passing the baton to an external party venue instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That doesn\u2019t mean \u2018not my party, not my problem\u2019, though. If one of your employees slips on a mince pie and collides with the venue’s inflatable Santa (taking down Santa\u2019s entire workshop in the process), you could find yourself answerable to a claim for third-party property damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is why checking if your public liability (PL) insurance<\/a> cover meets the venue\u2019s requirements is essential before any party. It needs to be enough to settle any demands for compensation (and spare your employee\u2019s embarrassed blushes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, if anyone outside the company is coming (think partners and employees’ plus-ones), then you should definitely have PL. That way, if someone’s silk shirt gets a mulled wine makeover, your business isn’t left footing the bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tips for seasonal success<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To make sure your work Christmas party goes with the right sort of bang, you’ll need to cover all bases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n