The holidays are once again upon us, and that means many businesses are planning their firm’s holiday party or similar. I wanted to flag David Lewis as a potential source to educate business owners and leadership on best practices for hosting / managing these events – from booze to behavior. Some talking points:

• Companies should proceed with caution, specifically since they can be held responsible and accountable for any incidents that occur. As such it is important to assign someone in HR and/or management to monitor behavior and to ensure that all in attendance maintain a semi-professional level of behavior. This monitor resource also should be responsible for determining who will be sent home via car service vs. being allowed to drive.
• Company holiday parties are the source every year of some of the most inappropriate levels of behavior. The mix of alcohol and music results in a drop in professional behavioral standards, leading to more casual and social interaction amongst professionals. As such it is important to keep things as under control as possible so as not to allow lines to be crossed and inappropriate interactions to occur.
• When such incidents occur it is imperative that the events at company parties be dealt with as if they occurred in the middle of the office. Specifically any incidents witnessed that meet standards for possible harassment or hostile work environment be investigated and addressed. Remember that all party attendees in view of any bad behavior are also witnesses and possible victims.

David Lewis is the President / CEO of OperationsInc, a 12+ year-old Human Resources Outsourcing and Consulting firm providing HR related services to over 700 clients throughout the U.S. in the small to mid-sized business space. As a 27-year HR professional,  David is viewed as subject matter expert in the area of human resources and workplace management, and is regularly featured in such publications as The New York Times, Inc. Magazine, US News and World Report, Entrepreneur, and Forbes. David also has extensive experience in both live television and radio.
 
David is available anytime to discuss further, and can be reached directly at (203) 595-4280, or via email at dlewis@OperationsInc.com. 

Source: OperationsInc - Human Resources Outsourcing and Consulting
Learn more at www.OperationsInc.com