Reducing the risk of trouble

The holiday party at a small business can be fraught with legal problems if staffers or guests drink too much. If they engage in sexual misconduct or are involved in accidents of any sort, a company owner can be held legally liable.

If owners are going to serve alcohol, there are steps they can take to lessen the likelihood of problems. Here are some of them:

• Have a sit-down meal in a restaurant rather than a cocktail party; the structure of the event will make people less likely to misbehave. The earlier you schedule the meal — a lunch as opposed to a dinner — the less they’re likely to drink.

• If you’re having the party on your premises or in an event space, hire a professional bartender — someone who has a trained eye for signs that someone has had enough to drink and shouldn’t be consuming any more alcohol.

• Use tickets or coupons to limit the number of drinks anyone can order. Some owners assign ticket numbers to individual staffers who then must show an ID to a bartender along with a ticket. That stops people from asking co-workers for tickets they’re not going to use.

• Don’t have an open bar. Beer and wine have lower alcohol content and take longer to consumer.

• Don’t make drinking the centerpiece of the party. An activity such as bowling, board games, painting and newer trends such as hatchet-throwing will take people’s minds off alcohol.

• Be prepared to get taxis and car services for anyone who’s had too much to drink.

• If staffers are going to hold their own after-party, no one in management — including the boss — should be there. Employment law attorneys warn that if even one supervisory person is in attendance, the company could be held liable if there are accidents or injuries from staffers drinking too much.