With the Thanksgiving weekend behind us, attention turns tocelebrating with family, friends — and coworkers at the companyholiday party.

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A majority of organizations are still planning to hold holidayor end-of-year parties; however, a growing number of employers arecutting back, according to a recent survey from theSociety for Human Resource Management. The survey found that almosttwo-thirds (65%) of human resource professionals said theirorganizations would host a party for all employees. But 30% ofrespondents said that no party was planned at their organization,an increase of 13 percentage points from 2012.

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How and where will those companies celebrate? A majority — 67% —of respondents said their party would be off site, and 22% saidthey would close early that day. More than half (59%) said alcoholwould be served at the party. Of those planning to serve alcohol,47% indicated they would regulate alcohol consumption at the event,with 71% using drink tickets or having a drinks maximum.

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Employers are concerned about possible repercussions fromemployees drinking too much, for example:

• Drunk driving and possible motor vehicle accidents.
• Workers compensation for falls and other injuries.
• Discrimination claims, including sexual harassment andreligious discrimination.
• Injury to third parties.
• Premises liability.
• Underage drinking.

In addition to employer-based liability, many organizations areconcerned about their “social host” liability as well. In somestates, social host liability is limited to people hosting partiesat which minors are served alcohol. In other states, employers maybe liable for underage drinking at work functions, and there arestill other states in which the law is less clear. The safestaction is to develop a policy and guidelines, with advice from yourlegal counsel and input from the human resources department, thendistribute that policy to all employees.

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The following are some guidelines from the Society for HumanResource Management for safe company holiday parties.

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Let us know your suggestions for holding safe and enjoyableworkplace holiday parties in the comment section below.

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Editor's note: We've included a sample memo to employees,courtesy of SHRM, that you can adapt for your organization atthe end of this article.

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1. Have an alcohol policy — and enforce it

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Make clear in pre-party communications that minors can't drinkand, if they do, they may be terminated. You also should make itclear that anyone who provides alcohol to minors may be terminatedas well.

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Some companies serve only beer and wine at company functions tolimit the effects of stronger liquors. Others take their cues fromsporting events and have “last call” an hour before the event isscheduled to end.

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2. Hire professional servers

Have someone serve alcohol rather thanpermitting employees to serve themselves. This gives professionalbartenders the opportunity to identify employees who drink toomuch. The bartenders also should be authorized — andencouraged — to card anyone who looks younger than 25. If youexpect many younger workers to attend, consider having wristbands —issued by the HR staff — with one color for employees and guestsunder 21 and one color for those over 21 to make it easier onservers.

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3. Select the location thoughtfully

Hold the party offsite at a location that'seasily accessible by public transportation. Consider using safe ride programs, providing carservice or a party bus, or rewarding employees who agree to bedesignated drivers with a gift card for gas.

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4. Have plenty of food and nonalcoholicdrinks

People who are eating, especially at a venuewith few tables and seats, tend to drink less because it'sdifficult to juggle a drink and a plate. Food also helps minimize the effect of alcoholon the system, and a good selection of nonalchoholic drinks giveseveryone more options.

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5. Hold a 'winter' party

Some companies have moved away from holidayparties because of the religious and cultural issues that must betaken into account. Instead, they're holding “new year” or “winter”celebrations in early January instead. That can set the tone for the company's goals inthe new year and eliminate some of the stress from trying to cramtoo many activities into December.

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6. Minimize opportunities for harassment

Review your organization's harassment policiesto be sure they cover employer-sponsored social events and includespecific examples of conduct at parties that is unacceptable. Don'tlet any well-meaning employees hang mistletoe, for example. If you're going to have music at the party,whether a live band, a disk jockey or recorded music, think aboutthe kind of music that will be played. Spread the word that no oneshould feel coerced into dancing with a coworker, especially notslow dances. Remember religious and cultural differences aswell. Most employees regardless of religion are comfortable with aChristmas tree and a menorah as decorations, but don't force anyoneto participate in gift exchanges or other rituals they're notcomfortable with.

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7. Review your insurance coverage

Check with your agent or broker to be sure youremployment practices liability and workers compensation coveragesare up to date and adequate to cover losses. Your agent might alsohave suggestions about mitigating risks from holiday gatherings andweighing the pros and cons of the actions you might take. Forexample, if your holiday party is at a hotel, you might arrange fora block of rooms that employees can reserve at a discount. But areyou inviting or risking sexual harassment claims? If you have dancing at the party, you canenvision at least one employee getting carried away on the dancefloor and falling. You might be facing a workers' comp claim forany injuries. If the party is offsite and the fall could beattributed to a slippery floor, the venue's premises liabilityshould cover any injuries.

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Holiday party memo

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A template sample form from the SHRMKnowledge Center:

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To: All Employees Re: HolidayParty Conduct Reminders A-Z

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As you know, the annual holiday party is just around thecorner. I know all of you know what is expected of you in terms ofconduct at a company event but I wanted to provide reminders toeveryone about expectations of conduct; it's important to rememberthat we have new employees who may not have attended a companyevent before. The first reminder is that we want everyone to have ahealthy, safe and prosperous holiday season and your adherence tothe A-Z tips will help ensure that you'll do so.

• Alcohol. Please remember to not over-indulge, and ifyou are planning to drive please limit your alcohol consumption ormake plans with a pre-designated driver. Alcoholic beverages willcease being served one hour before the planned close of the party;nonalcoholic beverages will continue to be available. Employees whoare not of legal drinking age should not request alcoholicbeverages, nor will they be permitted to consume them; we will haveprofessional bartenders; employees are not permitted to servealcohol.

• Apparel. No one is expected to wear formal dress but ata minimum please adhere to business casual rules for the workplace.We discourage inappropriate attire at company events because youwill be with coworkers, vendors and customers.

• Inappropriate conduct. [Company name] does not holdparties with the potential net result of a harassment complaint.Behavior while at the party should comport with the same behaviorthat is acceptable in the workplace under our harassment policies.Please use only language that would be appropriate for theworkplace setting. No decorations or personal accessories thatinclude mistletoe will be permitted.

• Food and post-party visiting hour. A wide varietyof food will be available and we hope everyone makes it a festiveoccasion. The restaurant will also, at our request, be providing apost-party open hour for attendees to have dessert and coffee andvisit.

• Gift giving and decorations. The company will havelottery door prizes available and we do not encourage but willpermit gift-giving at the party. Gifts should not be obscene,offensive or of a sexually explicit nature.

• Impaired driving. The company also has madearrangements with a car service to be available to transportemployees who do not have a designated driver to get homesafety.

• Smoking. Smoking is not permitted within the partysite; however, the restaurant does have a designated smoking areafor smokers.

Let's all do our part (and our best) to ensure a highlysuccessful and enjoyable holiday event and close the year on a highnote!

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