Written by Jodie Case | 16th December 2022
This year may be the first year that Christmas celebrations return to how they were before the pandemic.
For many, that means staff holidays, gifts and over the top Christmas parties once again. While everyone deserves to enjoy themselves this year, it’s important that events don’t become the talk of the office the next day – or a headache for employers.
It’s also important to ensure that everyone is treated fairly when it comes to potentially tricky issues such as taking leave over the holiday period.
Here are our tips for employers on some workplace etiquette – and don’t worry – you won’t be viewed as the bah-humbug boss!
Be fair and consistent with annual leave
The Christmas period is a chance for your employees to take a well-earned rest, spend time with family, and come back energised in the new year.
Not every business shuts down completely for Christmas and you may require staff to take holiday in between December 26 and January 1. Parents may also want to be off for two weeks to coincide with school holidays, but if the business stays open, granting leave for everyone is not going to be possible. So how do you decide?
We suggest you manage expectations and adopt a fair and consistent method. Ideally, you will have included stipulations in your employment contracts that say whether staff need to keep back sufficient holiday to cover a Christmas shut down.
If your business is busy during the holidays, you can limit annual leave during this time, but you need to make this clear in advance. One way to approach this it to allocate leave on a first-come, first-served basis, encouraging people to put their requests in as early as possible in the year.
Another option might be to track annual leave each year, so that it isn’t always the same people getting the time off.
Think twice about your secret Santa gift
Buying a Christmas gift for your team this year? Consider what people would like, rather than something you would want. For example, if you know someone doesn’t drink, a bottle of champagne is probably not the ideal gift for them.
Don’t use a Christmas gift to try to passive-aggressively or humorously address a problem, such as buying a watch for the employee who is often late. In a group setting, this can be humiliating for someone, and it may constitute bullying.
That goes for comedy gifts too – will your employee really find something as funny as you think it is? Or this there a risk of causing offence?
Make sure all your employees are aware of these tips when buying gifts for each other.
If you are organising a secret Santa this year, do brief the team to stick to a price limit as this can cause embarrassment, and allow people to opt out if they don’t want to take part.
Don’t forget there are tax rules on gifts to employees, so before you spend hundreds of pounds, read our blog on the rules of Christmas gifting to employees.
Christmas parties
There’s no doubt that many of your employees will be looking forward to this event – an opportunity to let their hair down and celebrate their achievements after a difficult year. But what happens if things go too far? We’re all aware of what flowing alcohol can do in this type of situation.
We suggest you make staff aware that there are ground rules as early in advance as you can. The party is a work-related event and employees need to be reminded of this. It’s a good idea to consider having a policy that outlines that inappropriate behaviour at all work events, including the Christmas party, could lead to disciplinary action.
Everyone needs to feel welcome, and you should make an effort to consider that not all staff will drink alcohol or celebrate Christmas. Your party needs to be inclusive and so taking the time to consider everyone’s needs will help make everyone feel appreciated and included.
Even after the party has ended, take extra steps to protect your employees, such as arranging transport home at the end of the night. As an employer, you have a duty of care to employees and must consider how they will get home after work-related social events.
Monitor office gossip!
Just because it’s Christmas, doesn’t mean that inappropriate behaviour is acceptable, and it must be investigated with action being taken if necessary.
If gossip is circulating about the night before or you receive complaints of bullying or harassment, you have a responsibility to ensure misconduct is dealt with in line with your disciplinary procedures.
As an employer you can be held liable for the actions of your employees at office parties, even if the seasonal celebration is held outside of their working hours and the workplace, if any misconduct takes place, then it will have taken place during the course of their employment.
We hope you find our advice useful to help you enjoy your Christmas festivities. If you need any support with producing a policy that outlines acceptable conduct at work events or support with Christmas gifting, then please get in touch via [email protected].