Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…

Oops, just getting into the spirit because the reality is that Christmas decorations are starting to appear in the shops and it’s nearly time to get your tinsel on. It might feel early, but now is the time to start thinking about your Christmas workplace checklist.

1. Christmas Shutdown Planning

Will you be shutting down over the Christmas/New Year period and if so, have you notified your employees?

Will it be a total shutdown, or do you require a skeleton crew to remain working or on call?

Communicating early is a requirement in many awards, but it’s also good management. It allows your team to plan their work schedules and be fully across the closure dates, enabling them to maximise their leave time, get some solid R&R and be ready for a brand new year.

2. Managing Leave Over Christmas

Whether or not you are having an enforced shutdown, there will be employees who wish to take time off in the December/January period.

You will need to look at how you are managing your leave approvals so that your business can still function effectively across this time.

Be clear on how you will approve leave requests. It may be first come, first served, or a fair rotation based on who had time off last year and who missed out.

Whatever you decide, communicate the process in advance to avoid confusion and to allow everyone the opportunity to submit their leave requests in a timely manner.

3. Parties – Should You?

We are fully in favour of celebrating the year that was with your team.

The past few years have been challenging and while we haven’t had lockdowns recently, getting businesses back up and running at full capacity still comes with its own pressures.

Of course, we need to pop on our HR hat — which is NOT the same as a party pooper hat — and say that you need to be aware of your obligations and make sure your team know theirs.

We have more information available that outlines what you need to know, because none of us want to kick off January with a Fair Work matter arising from a Christmas party.

4. OHS Is Still in Force

Even if you have your Christmas party away from your workplace, OHS legislation is still in play.

Alcohol can bring asunder many a well-intentioned celebration, so choose your venue wisely and verify that responsible service of alcohol is in place.

5. And So Are Your Policies

We’ve already mentioned that your team need to be across their obligations, but it’s worth calling out key policies that set expectations around behaviour.

In particular, those relating to:

• harassment
• bullying
• misconduct

You may also want to reference your drugs and alcohol policy, reminding employees that illicit substances won’t be tolerated and that alcohol is expected to be consumed responsibly.

It’s also a good idea to remind your team about your social media policy and that no one is to post inappropriate photos or material that could be considered offensive or discriminatory towards colleagues.

Important Reminder

Fair Work has previously found that an employee dismissed for workplace bullying and sexual harassment at a Christmas party was unfairly dismissed because the employer provided unlimited free alcohol.

What started out as a night of celebration turned into a costly and difficult situation for everyone involved and it’s something no business wants to deal with.

If you need help with your communication around expectations and obligations for your celebrations, closure periods or annual leave, your favourite HR consultants are here to help.

Get in touch with the HR Staff n’ Stuff team.