Office Holiday Parties Gone Awry Make for Good Stories, HR Headaches

In Today’s General Counsel, Woods Rogers Principals Leah Stiegler and Anne Bibeau entertain in-house legal departments with a reminder of the HR nightmares that lurk during and after office holiday parties. With Halloween upon us and a mad dash through the New Year, company leaders should remind employees that in-office policies and best practices must also be followed at office parties, and failure to comply can result in discipline and even termination.

“We all like to have fun, but when employees are let out to ‘play,’ it seems like all professionalism and good judgment go out the window,” the authors write in their column published this week. “So, we’ve made this easy for legal departments. We drafted an email that you can send to your front-line managers or, with a few tweaks, companywide as a reminder that employees can be disciplined up to and including termination for conduct that occurs at (or after) company-sponsored holiday events.”

To drive the point home, Leah and Anne provide workplace scenarios they have helped clients navigate. Visit Today's General Counsel to read their war stories, which we promise will make you laugh out loud!