Jasmine is three months into her first job at a busy FMCG company. Last week her manager asked her to organise the Christmas party. 80 people. Open bar. December.
She said yes because you always say yes in your first job. She’s chosen the venue, sorted the menu and built the playlist. What she hasn’t done is a risk assessment. Because nobody mentioned that was part of the job.
A Christmas party isn’t just a night out. In law it’s a workplace event which means the employer is responsible for what happens, who feels included, what conduct is acceptable and what happens when it isn’t. The open bar, the mixed groups, the colleagues who’ve had a difficult year together, all of it happens on the employer’s watch.
By Monday morning there was a formal complaint on the HR manager’s desk.
Jasmine’s playlist was excellent. Everything else was a problem.
✅ 3 THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE PARTY — NOT AFTER
1. Carry out a risk assessment. Off-site events need the same risk thinking as any workplace situation, including who might be vulnerable and what could go wrong.
2. Brief your team before they arrive. A short message about expected behaviour is not a mood killer, it’s a legal necessity.
3. Have a plan for when something goes wrong because every year, somewhere, something does.
At People Vision HR we can help with pre-event risk assessments, conduct policies for off-site events and the complaints that follow when nobody did either. Get in touch and let’s talk through what you need.
26 years of helping businesses have a great Christmas party. And a quiet January.