After another long gruelling year we have finally made it to the month of December, which means that Christmas – and the yearly work p*ss up – is finally around the corner.
But as you’re busy putting up the tree, blasting festive songs and breaking open the doors on your advent calendar, it’s important to share the annual reminder not to get too rowdy at your work’s do – as it could see you waking up the next day full of regrets… and potentially unemployed.
Here is your annual Christmas dont’s reminder (Getty Stock Images)
We’ve all heard the horror stories of unlucky employees who’ve made some seriously questionable decisions after having that fateful last drink, with people finding themselves in hot water for everything from fighting to harassment of co-workers.
But what does the law say when it comes to reasons you could find yourself handed with a P45 following the office do?
Employment law specialist Alexandra Bullmore, who previously spoke to WalesOnline about the matter, was keen to reiterate that while a Christmas party is a time for employees to have fun, normal workplace rules still apply.
Gross misconduct
“Employers will potentially be liable for anything an employee does at the Christmas party,” Bullmore explained.
She continued: “The usual work policies and procedures, including those to do with gross misconduct, will apply at any work organised Christmas party.
“Employees should be very careful to ensure that they do not do anything that may mean disciplinary action is brought against them.”
Examples of gross misconduct can include harassment of other employees, insubordination and property damage.
Drunken behaviour
After spending the past 11 months working hard no one can blame you for wanting to let your hair down a little, but as Bullmore mentioned earlier, the Christmas party is an extension of the workplace, so any bad behaviour from drinking doesn’t just vanish the next day.
The excuse of companies providing a free bar won’t wash either, with Owen John, partner at law firm Darwin Gray, adding that free alcohol isn’t an excuse for an employee acting badly.
Make sure you behave this year, unless you want a P45 for Christmas (Getty Stock Images)
“If the employee commits an act of gross misconduct an employer can discipline that employee and, if it’s sufficiently serious, potentially dismiss that employee. The fact that the employer put on a free bar will be no defence for the employee,” he said.
Fighting
This one’s pretty obvious, but getting into a scrap on your Christmas do will obviously lead to a serious conversation with HR as fighting is considered gross misconduct.
“Although fighting will most likely justify dismissal it is imperative that employers carry out as thorough investigation as possible,” Sarah Austin of Cardiff and London-based firm Capital Law said.
“In recent cases a failure to identify who ‘threw the first punch’ and resulting inconsistent treatment of those involved has led to findings of unfair dismissal.”
Perhaps a helpful rule of thumb to remember is that if you can get fired for doing something in the office, you can also get fired for doing it at the Christmas party.
Featured Image Credit: Getty stock photos
With the year coming to a close, offices up and down the country will be getting ready for their work Christmas do.
For some, the idea of spending even more time with the people you work with is an absolute nightmare.
But for others, it’s a chance to let your hair down and have a good catch up with colleagues.
Either way, it’s obviously important to still have a job by the end of the festive bash.
“The fact that the employer put on a free bar will be no defence for the employee,” Owen John, a partner at the south Wales law firm Darwin Gray, told Wales Online.
So, if you still want to be in work next year, you best listen up.
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From getting absolutely s**tfaced to chatting up the girls in HR, make sure you remember that employers can potentially be liable for anything an employee does at the Christmas party – and the employee can be disciplined for any high jinx they get up to.
Employee liability
John explains: “Conduct which takes place at a Christmas party, even if that Christmas party was held off-site, will be treated the same as if it was carried out at the workplace itself.
“In the same way an employer may be ultimately responsible for the actions of its employees at a Christmas party just as it may be responsible for the actions of its employees in the workplace.”
I mean, you shouldn’t need reminding to not sexually harass someone at work, or anywhere.
Drunken behaviour
We all know that one person who can get a little carried away with a free bar.
“If the employee commits an act of gross misconduct an employer can discipline that employee and, if it’s sufficiently serious, potentially dismiss that employee,” John said.
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Gross misconduct
Harassment, insubordination, and damage to company property fall into this category.
Sarah Austin of Cardiff and London-based firm Capital Law said: “A lot of these issues arise from dampened inhibitions due to alcohol consumption and it’s important that employers deal with this effectively following company procedures to ensure any disciplinaries or dismissals are made fairly and with just reason as well as protecting employees of the business from the behaviour of other employees.”
Fighting
Another bit of common sense.
“Fighting constitutes gross misconduct, which should be dealt with formally under the company’s disciplinary procedures,” Austin said.
“Although fighting will most likely justify dismissal it is imperative that employers carry out as thorough investigation as possible. In recent cases a failure to identify who ‘threw the first punch’ and resulting inconsistent treatment of those involved has led to findings of unfair dismissal.
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“It is important to take pre-emptive action to ensure that employees are aware of their obligations prior to the event.
“That way the employer limits their exposure to any unauthorised conduct which an employee may then go on to commit.”
As an employer, if you want to avoid any of the above, you need to do two things.
1) Make sure you haven’t hired any a**eholes.
2) Make things crystal clear to your employees.
Featured Image Credit: Getty stock images
Exact date you should put your Christmas tree up this year according to tradition
If you’re waiting to put the Christmas tree up, tradition suggests this is the best date for you
Confession time… my Christmas tree has already been up for a week, but if you’re still waiting to put yours up, then the ideal date has been revealed.
Whether you’re a traditionalist with a real tree decked in red and gold for the festive season, or you go for something wild and colourful and artificial there are traditions which can be used as a guide.
There’s a particular date for your diary which has been established over the years as the ideal time to decorate.
Whether you agree with it or not is another matter, as some people think it should be even later…
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What date should you put up your Christmas tree?
Drumroll please… your tree is meant to go up on the first day of Advent.
For the uninitiated it goes up on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and for 2024 it’s this Sunday 1 December.
This date is particularly important if you prefer a real tree, as experts say they last around four weeks on average.
Nobody wants a dead tree on Christmas day.
Waiting until the first weekend of December ensures any real foliage should hold out until the big day.
It seems I’m not alone in my taste for the tree going up in November, as John Lewis has found more people than ever have been buying their tree earlier than normal.
Tree sales have rocketed by 32 percent in recent weeks.
According to the aptly named Christmas Tree World experts: “In recent years, it has not been uncommon for families to get ahead and welcome the festive season early, with some setting up their trees as soon as Halloween is over!
“Another popular choice for when to deck the halls is the slightly earlier date of December 1st.
Many say you should wait until December 1st (Getty Stock Images)
“Many households like to set up their tree and other festive decorations on the first day of the month to mark the start of the official countdown to the big day!”
Debate has been raging online over whether putting your tree up earlier is ‘common’ or not, and there’s an etiquette on everything from the time you should open presents to when to eat Christmas dinner.
Laura Windsor is the founder of the Laura Windsor Etiquette Academy and is the etiquette consultant for Bridgerton, and she insists any earlier than the 1st is just too soon, and it should ideally be later.
“Ideally, a Christmas tree – made of real fir – should go up in mid-December, around the 17th, so that the tree lasts until the Twelfth Night,” she told Good Housekeeping.
“Traditionally, trees were displayed as late as Christmas Eve. Nowadays, people are putting up their trees much earlier [but] the earliest acceptable date is 1 December.”
Apparently only a star should adorn your tree too, never an angel or a fairy.
When is your tree going up?
