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Office Christmas Party Safety
As you know, we have decided to continue the tradition of an office Christmas Party, but we do need you to minimise the risks and do so with an awareness of our normal health and safety guidelines.
According to contemporary statistical data, a third of firms are not planning on hosting the standard office Yuletide Party this year, amid fears about action in the courts due to inebriated escapades and that kind of stuff. While I am able to confidently say there are plenty more office safety hazards in a party than the remainder of the year ( most offices just are not built for that degree of nibbles, alcohol and cheesy music ), with a little thinking ahead the office Yuletide party can become the celeb establishment it was without the ominous cloud of legal action hanging overhead.
It is important to keep the office H&S cares in the background however nobody likes the concept of continuing red tape when they are trying to unwind. Already over 1/2 bosses latterly surveyed felt the celebratory atmosphere felt extraordinarily 'forced'. Here are five office H&S steps that can be taken to reduce the chance of a litigious post party hangover.
1 ) Take it out of the office The best way of avoiding the legal minefield of office safety and health laws is to take it out of the office! As I discussed earlier, the everyday office with its PCs, water cooler and cubicles is not built for the escapades and nonsense of the stereotypical office Yuletide party. Booking a cafe or a hotel could appear like a needless cost in the near term, but the different environment will help people chill out and have a great time, and your precious photocopier may not be spoiled by the exhibitionist office clown! If you take it out of the office, there is no need to wear safety boots or other safety clothing, if you stay in the office, then sadly the heavy shoes must be worn even when dancing :)
2 ) Leave off the Mistletoe This one is less 'health and safety' and more to do with work law, but one of the most important concerns for action in the courts is the dread of sexual aggravation at work.
And while the Mistletoe is a firm favorite, in a number of cases it actually can be asking for difficulty. By taking it off the list of decorations, you may restrict your responsibility if somebody does feel stressed or intimidated remember that if you're paying for the party, then the party will still come under the office rules, including those relating to sexual persecution. As an alert about office conduct generally, an employee from Merill Lynch was paid a £1,000,000 out of court settlement over comments about her sex life and breasts at work Xmas party, so keep an eye peeled for incongruous conduct.
3 ) Look out for perils here is a peculiar statistic for you : in 2002, one thousand folks were wounded by falling Yuletide trees. It just shows that dangers are everywhere, especially with the alcohol free flowing. If you can not budget to have the office somewhere else, ensure you are not making difficulty where there were not any occupational safety and health perils before.
Classic Xmas office safety problems can be simply evaded : Don't permit folk to stand on office chairs or desks to put up decorations and do not permit fire perils like Christmas lights to be hung on computers or air vents. Also, make sure that all the common emergency info isn't obscured by pretentious decorations even if it implies there isn't any room for that last life-size reindeer model the office safety and health laws must come first!
4 ) look out for the alcohol It's unsurprising that many bosses are scared at the office H&S inspector's nightmare : mixing alcohol with pricey office clobber. Luckily, there are steps that can be taken towards limiting the capability for damage and assisting office safety. It is a undeniable fact that alcohol is most powerful on an empty belly, so put on some catering. Salted nibbles are less endorsed because they make a thirst which can sometimes be counter-intuitive for the alcohol-wary chief.
And the additional cost concerned is all in the meaning of Yuletide, and will make sure that for a single day, you are not compared against Ebenezer Scrooge! One last word of information : According to a survey, Bing Crosby's White Xmas and The Pogues' Fairytale of Long Island are our fave Yuletide songs, while Cliff Richard's Mistletoe and Wine, and Wham's Last Yuletide are best evaded if you'd like to keep the whinging as low as possible! Some would call a Xmas over indulgence in Cliff a much more concerning break of safety and health laws, than a little alcohol abuse!