Do Your Best To Keep Legal Troubles Off the Menu At Your Business Holiday Gatherings
This time of year means holiday parties. Your business-sponsored holiday parties can bring you and your business colleagues together and boost morale for your workers. Unfortunately, they can also bring legal trouble if your attendees feel the need to blow off a little too much steam or you try to conduct business during the event.
Good party planning means more than just food and festivities. You and your business should guard against a host of potential legal pitfalls.
You can protect your interests by reviewing our Holiday Party Liability Prevention Checklist. Here are a few tips from our Checklist to keep alcohol-related and employee litigation risks at bay:
- Hold the event at a restaurant or other off-site location. You may want to hold holiday events at establishments with a liquor license and where alcohol is served by professional bartenders who know how to respond to guests who are consuming alcohol to excess.
- Hire a professional bartender or caterer for on-site events. If the event is held on your business premises, you should consider hiring a professional bartender or caterer to serve any alcoholic beverages. Confirm that the caterer carries liability insurance and instruct bartenders or wait staff not to serve drinks to anyone who is visibly intoxicated. Employees should not be permitted to stand in as bartenders or otherwise serve drinks to co-workers.
- BE CAREFUL about encouraging employees to look out for intoxicated co-workers. While it’s a good idea for employees to look out for another holiday guest’s well-being, employers should be careful about designating certain employees as “spotters” as it make create a claim that you required an employee work off the clock. See the Holiday Party Liability Checklist for details.
Want to know more? Our Holiday Party Liability Checklist (17 tips you should know when hosting a business function). These include ways for you to keep you from opening yourself up to problems like:
- Sexual Harassment
- Worker’s Compensation Claim
- Wage and Hour Claims
- And More
Contact Dodge Legal and request yours Holiday Party Liability Checklist now.
Party on safely and legally!
Happy Holidays!