How to avoid the annual pitfalls of office parties
IT’S that time of the year when some businesses start considering closing down for the end-of-the-year holiday. Many employers might be considering parties and gatherings for their staff.
Before we discuss the gatherings and parties, please spare a thought for all those who don’t have jobs and are struggling.
The latest quarterly survey has shown that almost 50% of those who want jobs in South Africa cannot find jobs. It is getting worse every quarter and has been for the past 10 years. It has come to the point where civil society is going to have to put as much pressure on the government as possible to create a more conducive environment for job creation.
We also need to have tolerance and respect for those who are working throughout the holidays. The entertainment, restaurant, hotel and tourism industries in particular havebeen devastated during the various lockdowns.
It is the lockdowns that are killing business, and not Covid 19. When you encounter staff over this period, please understand that they have not earned well during the Covid 19 period and that many of the institutions are understaffed and overworked. Please remember that waiters and support staff rely on tips and are trying hard to please.
Turning to those businesses that will be closing and will be having some form of entertainment with their staff, we need to consider a few issues.
First, I recommend that, like last year, businesses don’t have get-togethers, Christmas parties and celebrations in person. The latest Covid-19 variant has created a fourth wave and we don’t want to be accused of spreading the nasty virus.
Most businesses would do well to look at the budget they would have spent on a Christmas party and divide that equally among the staff. I know that the staff would be incredibly happy to have a few extra rand in their pockets to enable them to bring some happiness home instead of spending time at a Christmas party or a gathering.
If there is going to be a gathering, there must be certain rules in place.
First, I strongly recommend alcohol be banned. I can regale readers with dozens of stories where alcohol has led to fights, inappropriate behaviour and, eventually, dismissals.
If the business is insisting on at least some alcohol, then I suggest that be curtailed to one drink a person in order to ensure that behaviour can be controlled. If people are going to be drinking, there has to be strict supervision and a structured transport system to take them home.
Second, all employees must be warned beforehand that every person at the gathering remains subject to the disciplinary code of that business. People need to be warned that any breach of the codes will lead to disciplinary hearings and, possibly, dismissal. On many occasions, people tend to believe that because they are not at the workplace or not working, all the rules are suspended. This is incorrect.
Every year, my office handles dozens of disciplinary hearings because of misbehaviour. Every gathering must have a member of management in charge. It is disastrous to allow the staff to continue with the party after all the management have left. The lack of supervision tends to lead to inappropriate behaviour. In one case two years ago, after management had left an office party, two individuals decided to take their flirtations to the next level.
The flirtation was captured on a video camera at the restaurant and led to an acrimonious divorce. Once management leaves, it should be stated clearly that the party is over.
Third, businesses need to remember that they will be held liable for damages to the premises where the parties were held. And if any injuries occur, this might be challenged by the Compensation Fund and it might be for the account of the employers. I had a client whose younger staff members took part in a dangerous activity while outside a venue. One of the staff members had a terrible accident and was left paralysed from the waist down. This encounter led to years of aggravation and litigation. It could have been avoided if there was supervision and less alcohol.
In essence, proper control and structures must be put in place before any celebration. The controls and structures must be carefully outlined to the staff before they get to the venue. Some businesses have even gone to great lengths of producing rules for the party and asking staff to sign off before they can attend.