End of year planning – avoiding disaster at your office celebrations
As 2024 draws to a close, workplaces near and far are beginning to plan their end of year celebrations.
However, this is a time of year where the holiday party hangover can linger beyond the following day. Employers must be extremely cautious of the risks involved in hosting parties in the workplace.
We find there is an increased risk of employee misconduct during or following office parties. Just because work has stopped, does not mean that your responsibility to your employees stops.
These risks are particularly elevated if your end of year celebrations will feature alcohol. As we all know, this leads to an increased chance that someone engages in conduct that is untoward or perhaps just not as professional as what you would expect on a regular day in the office.
The risks involved
In light of the relaxed atmosphere that end of year celebrations will bring, we often see increased instances of risks to health and safety, including:
- Violence and aggression;
- Unwelcomed physical contact and verbal comments of a sexual nature;
- Sex discrimination;
- Bullying and harassment;
- Physical injuries; and
- Use of drugs and alcohol that is inconsistent with workplace policy.
These are also risks of unprofessional behaviour or breaches of confidentiality.
Your responsibilities
It is critical for employers to consider employee safety at all times. Employers have a duty to maintain a safe environment for workers at all times, even at the end of year parties. Employers must also be mindful of their positive duty to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination.
Steps you can take to minimise your risk
Firstly, we recommend that employers remind their employees that the event is still considered a ‘work event’. The function is very much connected to the employment of all attendees and as such, all workplace policies and procedures apply. Accordingly, employers should clearly set boundaries and expectations of behaviour, prior to the consumption of any alcohol.
Should employees wish to continue their celebrations at the conclusion of the event, then employers must make employees aware that such celebrations are no longer facilitated by the organisation and must be held at a location outside of the workplace or space where the party was held. To help achieve this, we recommend that you enforce strict start and finish times for your celebration.
We also recommend that employers select a setting where employees can behave appropriately and are kept safe. This might mean that an event is held in a licensed venue, where external staff can responsibly regulate the provision of alcohol and level of intoxication, and restrict individuals who have consumed an excessive amount of alcohol. We also recommend that these venues serve a reasonable amount of food and non-alcoholic drink options. It may be worthwhile setting limits on the type of alcohol available, for example, strictly beer and wine (no spirits), and facilitating a tab which cannot be exceeded.
Finally, at the conclusion of your event, ensure that all employees have an appropriate method of transport to arrive home safely, without drink driving. This may include subsidising taxi fares or providing staff with Uber vouchers. We encourage employers to remind their employees not to drive themselves to their end of year functions.
Take home message
If you have taken the above steps, you are on your way to hosting a celebration that is free of unnecessary drama.
It is critical that employers know the risks involved in hosting celebrations but that it can be done safely.
In the event that an incident does occur, employers should thoroughly investigate any concerns as soon as reasonably practicable.
For more specific information on any of the material contained in this article please contact Should you wish to discuss any material contained in this alert, please contact Sathish Dasan on +61 8 8210 1253 or sdasan@normans.com.au, or Annabelle Narayan on +61 8 8210 1292 or anarayan@normans.com.au.
