However, for employers, these Christmas Parties come with their fair share of risks, and it falls on HR to comprehend and address them. From employees indulging a bit too much and making regrettable decisions to unauthorized plus ones and allegations of inappropriate behaviour between colleagues.  the potential pitfalls can make HR departments and employers understandably uneasy. But don’t worry, with the right set of policies and some clear communication, managing these events can be a smoother experience.

Why Do You Need Christmas Party Policies?

Without a suitable set of policies in place, behaviour at the office Christmas party can have some pretty major repercussions. According to UK law, employers have responsibility for their employees’ actions and safety outside the usual working environment and hours. Essentially, any social event organised by the employer is considered an ‘extension of the workplace,’ treating it akin to a regular workday. Hence, having a clear policy framework becomes crucial.

What Your Employees Need To Know

Before the Christmas party starts, you need to ensure you’ve communicated your expectations with your employees. Even if you don’t have a formal policy to refer to, an email with the ground rules surrounding expected behaviour will go a long way. This communication should cover 5 key areas:

• Employee Obligations: Employees are not obligated to attend your annual Christmas party, and you should make it known that their presence is completely voluntary. There will be people who don’t want to go, or who won’t participate for religious reasons. Those who choose to participate have a duty to take reasonable care of their own and others’ health and safety, especially in a festive setting where alcohol is involved.
• Consumption of Alcohol: Speaking of alcohol, you should remind your employees and their guests that alcohol should be consumed in moderation. We all know that Christmas can be seen as a time of excess but make it clear that just because the company is providing alcohol, it is not a reason or license to drink excessively on company time.
• Unacceptable Behaviour: We all hope our employees will be on their best behaviour during the work Christmas party, but sadly that won’t always be the case. So, you need to state specifically that any unacceptable behaviour or improper conduct will not be tolerated, and what the repercussions could be if anything should happen. Make it crystal clear that any issues arising during a Christmas party will be treated as a serious disciplinary matter, and this includes any actions towards co-workers, guests, or venue staff. A few examples of unacceptable behaviour we have helped businesses deal with in the past include:
  • Excessive drunkenness
  • The use of illegal drugs or substances
  • Unlawful or inappropriate discrimination or harassment
  • Violence, like fighting or aggressive behaviour, verbal abuse or inappropriate language.

• Getting Home: Remind all employees that drink-driving will not be tolerated, so if they are planning to drink, they need to have a safe way to get home at the end of the event. If your party is being held at a hotel, you may opt to provide rooms for your team overnight or provide a discounted rate. If not, you might prefer organising group transport or giving out the details of the local taxi company.
• The Day After: If your Christmas party happens to be on a weekday (some are), then you should remind your employees that they are expected to be in work the next day, in a condition to do their normal duties. Hangovers are not an acceptable reason to take a sick day, especially after a work event. Remind employees that all of the normal policies and procedures of the workplace still apply to the event, including absence procedures.

A Note To Employers

Finally, once the party itself is done, employers may have some aftermath to deal with. In an ideal World there would be none, but there is always the chance that someone, either an employee, a guest or even the venue, makes a complaint. If this does happen, you mustn’t ignore it. All complaints need to be taken seriously, and if you need to, seek advice from an HR professional who can support you. Luckily, at Karen HRM we do just that! So if you’re not sure where to turn, you can always give us a call.

But it’s important to remember to balance your approach. A lot of businesses who have never thrown a company Christmas Party before will go very ‘safe’ and try to control every single element and that can end up sucking the fun out of the party entirely. As an employer it is simply your job to remind employees of these rules and follow up with any issues – not to micro-manage each employee’s behaviour during the party. Finding the balance between relaxing and having fun, and ensuring you meet your obligations as an employer can take time, but it is doable. If you’re not sure where to start, or you just want some information and support planning your Christmas party communications, we would love to help. Just get in touch with the team at Karen HRM today for your free consultation.

The post Balancing Cheer and Compliance – An Employers Guide To Christmas appeared first on Karen HRM Limited.

The Warning Signs

One of the biggest issues faced by small businesses is being able to identify what their corporate culture is, and whether it’s contributing to the performance problems they are experiencing. After all, company culture isn’t always to blame for bad performance! So here are a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a negative company culture.

• Unmotivated employees: If you suddenly find yourself constantly dealing with unmotivated employees, you should be taking a good look at the corporate culture of your business. Employees who are present but not engaged in their work, or who don’t see the point or benefit of their tasks is one of the clearest warning signs of bad corporate culture.

• Workforce anxiety: Usually high-performing employees now delivering sub-par results, or asking a lot of questions and seeking reassurance can be a sign that something is amiss. Unclear vision, poor employee development programmes and miscommunication from management make this one of the factors in bad corporate culture, and results in unmotivated and uncertain employees.

• High employee turnover: If you’re constantly losing employees and needing to hire replacements, this is the biggest red flag for negative company culture. While some larger corporations see high turnover as part of their business model, a smaller business is always having to hire for the same position then alarm bells should be ringing.

• Being all things to all people: Having a few different types of tasks to do within your job role is perfectly normal. But having one person do the roles of several people can lead to a seriously bad feeling in your business. It causes burnout and frustration, and it shows you don’t recognise individual strengths, or know how to delegate.

• Failing to meet deadlines: Every good business has goals, and good managers will set goals, tasks and deadlines for their team to meet. If your projects are always coming in late, then you have a serious problem. Often the root of the issue is poor communication and collaboration, both of which can be resolved by management taking a more accurate role in the process, and ensuring everyone is on the same page.

The signs of a bad company culture aren’t always complaining employees or KPIs not being met. As a business owner and manager, it’s your job to keep an eye out for the signs that something is wrong and address it before it has time to seep into your company culture and become a normal thing.

What to do About Company Culture Problems

Learn how to motivate your employees: Engaged and motivated employees are the lifeblood of any business, and the building blocks for your company culture. But it’s management’s job to motivate them effectively and create a positive environment, which often means more than just opening the company wallet. Here are 4 ways you can motivate your employees that have nothing to do with money.

Set SMART goals: Setting goals is a crucial part of any form of improvement or change. Setting SMART goals is a great way to stay on track and make sure you’re actually making progress. You can find out more about SMART goals and how to set them here.

Conduct effective performance reviews: It’s important to understand what the role of performance reviews actually is in your business to ensure management are conducting them effectively. This will make them a more productive experience for the managers and the employees, as well as provide realistic goals and feedback. For tips on how to improve your performance reviews, click here.

Be proactive: One of the main reasons so many businesses find themselves in HR trouble is that they wait until problems happen before they act. In this case, the focus is on maintaining the status quo, rather than making any meaningful improvements. A proactive HR approach means you can prioritise employee development and foster a positive company culture. To read more about that, click here.

And if you need support at any point during the process, we are here to help.

At Karen HRM, we help business owners and managers just like you to understand your unique company culture, as well as how to fix any underlying problems and create a positive, thriving company for the future. If you aren’t sure if your employees are happy, we’d love to help. Contact one of our team today, and book in your free consultation to help improve your company culture.

The post Bad Company Culture (And How To Fix It) appeared first on Karen HRM Limited.