Fabulously Festive Horror Stories | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds
The Christmas season is upon us! Here’s some celebratory cheer, with thanks to many Twitter confessions from office Christmas partygoers around the UK. Enjoy these examples of when sensible HR guidance has made way for festive workplace shenanigans …
Professional Relationships
Professional relationships in the workplace that embody trust, respect, self-awareness, inclusion and open communication should be encouraged and facilitated wherever possible.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #1:
“I told pretty much the entire team that I hated them.”
Trust and Communication
Mutual trust and exceptional communication in the workplace is achievable through creating strong company values, setting clear boundaries and expectations, and encouraging effective internal communication.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #2:
“My colleagues tricked me into thinking it was a fancy dress party. I showed up to a black tie event dressed as a Christmas pudding.”
Team Building
Great relationships between managers and employees are just one of the keys to building and maintaining an efficient, productive and happy workplace.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #3:
“The queues were too long for the toilet so I went outside to wee behind a wall. Bumped into my boss doing the exact same thing.”
Training and Development
It is vital to build a skills-based approach to talent development, for unlocking employee potential and creating a more inclusive workplace.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #4:
“Tried to be really cool and do that ‘pulling the tablecloth from beneath the glasses’ trick. Completely failed, smashed everything. Red wine went everywhere.”
Privacy
An employee has a right to a private life, and therefore should be able to enjoy a “reasonable expectation of privacy”. Likewise, employees should be encouraged to leave their private selves at home, and to only bring their professional selves to the workplace.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #5:
“Proposed to my girlfriend in front of everyone. She said no.”
Social Media Policy
It is essential to have a solid social media policy, informing all employees of expectations and codes of conduct when it comes to posting online.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #6:
“I woke up to like a million messages and missed calls. Turns out I’d put inappropriate pictures of people (really drunk and wearing hardly anything) all over Facebook.”
Health & Safety
For any workplace party, it is advisable to appoint an appropriate person to monitor health and safety, identify dangerous situations, and assess and report potential risk. They also need to check any control measures put in place periodically.
Confession of a Festive Party-Goer #7:
“I jumped up onto my friend’s back but we fell over and she broke her arm.”
Don’t worry, everything will turn out just fine this year. Probably.
Merry Christmas 2023 to all our readers! The team at Consensus HR hopes you all have a fantastic festive period and a Happy New Year 2024.