Tips on Avoiding Liability at Your Holiday Party
The Holidays can be a great time to re-connect with friends, colleagues and business associates outside the flurry of business activity we all tend to get lost in.
If you are an employer, it is crucial to be cognizant of the increased liability you may be subject to as the host including your employee’s actions.
In addition to concerns around the serving of alcohol, employers must remember that there is still a duty to maintain a safe and healthy environment as you would every day in the office.
It is also important to remember the law considers offsite events, such as parties, to be an extension of this workplace.
Sandra Zisckind of Diamond and Diamond offers the following 5 tips:
- Consider hosting an event during the day like a lunch that is alcohol free.
- If you choose to have alcohol at your event find a way to either have a cash bar or limit the amount of drinks that can be consumed by an employee. Include non-alcoholic beverages such as “mocktails” in the list of drinks available.
- Prior to the event, send an all staff email letting employees know that workplace policies in place are to apply to the holiday party.
- Provide Taxi chits so that you can ensure employees get home safely.
- Visit the site beforehand with your management team to seek out any issues around liability or accessibility.
Even if the necessary precautions have been implemented, accidents do happen. If you’ve been injured, call us on our free injury hotline at 1-800-567-HURT (4878) or contact us here.