Company parties are a staple of the holiday season in the United States. In a survey conducted by a New York executive search firm, Battalia Winston International, 87 percent of U.S. organizations report planning a 2005 holiday party. And, in an effort to foster the festive spirit, three-quarters of these parties will serve alcohol.
But, as employers and employees are letting the good times roll, party antics can all too often develop into behavior inappropriate for the workplace. Holiday parties are ripe with opportunities to reveal sides of our personality that are better left at home. Given the relaxed social atmosphere and the loosening effects of alcohol, some employees may find it difficult to suppress the urge to share a lewd joke, make a pass at a co-worker, or finally tell off the boss who has been making them miserable for years.
Though the company holiday party may be held away from the work site, the same rules for respectful and professional behavior apply. Employees and their employers can be held legally responsible for behavior at company parties even though they occur off-site and are after normal work hours. At times this means that managers get more headaches than holiday greetings from company parties.
Scenario 1: Sandy is waiting in Michael´s office the morning after the holiday party. The company went all out this year with a catered event at a hotel ballroom complete with an open bar and live band. Michael asks Sandy if she had a good time. He saw her on the dance floor several times. But, now that he thinks about it, she did disappear from the party rather early.
In fact, Sandy is there to file a sexual harassment suit against another member of Michael´s team. She claims that Tim hit on her multiple times even suggesting that they leave the party to get a hotel room together. At first she just tried to ignore him chalking his behavior up to just too much to drink. But, he followed her around all night and began making lewd comments about what she was wearing. She finally decided to leave the party early to get away from him. Tim followed her from the coatroom, grabbed her and tried to kiss her. She´s uncomfortable with having to work with him and wants him fired.
What not to do: Michael can´t believe he´s being hit with this first thing this morning. He´s still feeling hung over himself. Tim´s behavior, while clearly inappropriate, was at a party outside of work and off of company grounds. Besides, Tim has never demonstrated behavior like this at work before. It´s clear he just can´t handle his liquor. Michael tells Sandy that he´ll get Tim to apologize and ask him not to drink at company functions in the future. Michael can´t understand why Sandy storms out, clearly unsatisfied with this approach.
What to do: Managers need to treat harassment claims regarding actions taken at company parties in the same way they would treat any other harassment claim. Though parties are a time for loosening up some and having fun, company events are an extension of the workplace and employers should have a zero tolerance for any behavior that can be construed as harassment.
Michael should have contacted his HR representative immediately and worked in conjunction with HR to conduct an investigation into the complaint. He should have also ensured that Sandy and Tim were separated immediately so that there would not the possibility of more harassment occurring during the investigation. Finally he´s responsible for ensuring that there is not any retaliation against Sandy for filing a claim.
Michael should also have remembered that his behavior at company functions is a model for the rest of his staff. Seeing his boss drink enough to be hung over the next morning probably wasn´t the right message to be sending to Tim.
Scenario 2: 2005 has been a long year for Bob. In the first quarter, he was moved to a new account. It was a challenging and exciting assignment. The account was critical to the company´s overall performance. He worked late nights and weekends much of the year, willing to do whatever was necessary to ensure success. He was close to burning out by the end the year, but his hard work paid off. The client was very satisfied with the work and has signed on for an even larger contract.
The timing of the company Christmas party is perfect. Bob plans to celebrate with the open bar at the party tonight. What Bob doesn´t know is that Diane, his boss, plans to surprise him with an award at the party. About halfway through the party, Diane takes the stage. She talks about the positive impact Bob´s work has had on their business over the past year. Then she asks Bob to come up to accept the award and say a few words.
Bob, well into his plan to get wasted tonight, staggers to the stage. Diane catches him as he stumbles on the last step. He says a few slurred words, turns, and staggers off the stage leaving Dianne still holding the award and red in the face.
What not to do: Dianne calls Bob into her office the next morning and promptly fires him saying his behavior embarrassed her and their entire team.
What to do: Managers need to put lapses of behavior into perspective. If the behavior was inappropriate but didn´t cause harm to the company and wasn´t harassing to others, firing for a first time offense may be a little extreme.
Diane should pull Bob into her office the next morning for a serious conversation about the inappropriateness of his behavior. She should help him to see the impact on those around him. How comfortable can the senior executives be with someone who´d get drunk at a company function managing one of their biggest accounts? Bob´s behavior also reflects on Dianne and
the rest of their team. How can she and his co-workers respect and trust him in the future?
They should talk about and agree on actions that would help him to re-establish his credibility such as sending an apology out to the staff for his behavior and providing sincere thanks for the award. They should also discuss norms for future company functions. While celebrating is okay and encouraged, company parties are still business functions and the celebration should have a professional tone.
Dianne might also want to warn people in the future when she plans to put them on the spot, particularly when its in front of the entire company. Surprises are fun, but can be unpredictable and hard to control.
Company parties can be a great way to boost morale and to celebrate the successes of the year. But, as the holiday season approaches remember that the same rules of engagement apply at parties hosted by the business as in the business environment itself. Hopefully this will mean that managers are left with fewer messes to clean up the next morning other removing the
stains and taking out the trash.
About HumanR
Based in Herndon, Va. and founded in 1975, HumanR provides organizational development services to support corporations and government agencies in managing the employee lifecycle and developing strategic talent. Together with data-driven strategic consulting, HumanR offers employee surveys, 360 feedback, performance management and training. Its integrated approach to human capital initiatives enables organizations to effectively "connect the dots" and align people strategies with business objectives, increasing the value of human capital. For more information visit www.HumanR.com