Five HR tips for the festive season

By KMC Human Resources

09 Dec 2015

After a long year, many of us are thankful when December arrives and the celebrations and festivities can begin. But before you start to wind down, remember that this is one of the most troublesome of times of the year for employee issues – with numerous HR dilemmas to tackle.

So grab a Christmas coffee and have a read of our top tips for managing staff issues this festive season.

The Christmas PartyMany companies will choose to treat staff to a Christmas party. Whilst this is often intended as way to thank staff for their contribution and hard work over the year, it can backfire if certain precautions are not taken. To avoid festivities descending into chaos, consider sending out a communication prior to the event about expected staff behaviour. Also remember that any event will need to be inclusive and respectful of varying religious beliefs. For more on how to avoid the staff party turning into a nightmare, view our separate blog on the topic here.

Social MediaFor a large percentage of employees, social media is likely to be an integral part of a normal night out. From selfies to group photos, pictures of cocktails to videos of the best (or worst!) dance floor moves, it is inevitable that some form of media from the night will make its way online. Whilst the majority of such posts will be completely harmless, it is important to take action should you become aware of any offensive, discriminatory or bullying behaviour on online networking sites. It may be sensible to send out a reminder to all staff of your company’s policy on social media usage prior to any planned parties.

HolidaysIf your company’s holiday year runs from January to December, it can often be the case that staff find themselves with several holidays left to take during December. In order to maintain adequate staffing levels in December it may become necessary to refuse holiday requests. It is important to remain fair in these circumstances and many companies find that a ‘first come first served’ system is the best way forward. If necessary, you may want to consider allowing staff to carry forward a limited number of days into the next holiday year, but be consistent across all staff members when putting this into action - and remember that only ‘contractual’ holidays can be carried forward from one year to another.

Christmas BonusMany businesses like to go the extra mile at Christmas time and reward staff with a Christmas bonus. If you are going to go down this route, there are a number of considerations, including whether the gift is made available to all members of staff or just a selected few, and whether the amount will be the same or vary. Be careful how you tread and where possible, remain fair and consistent across the board to avoid the risk of disgruntled staff. Remember that if a bonus at Christmas time has been made for a few years on the run, this could be seen as having become ‘customary’ and therefore it could be argued that a bonus is a staff entitlement.

AbsenteeismWith all of the festivities and a generally more relaxed approach during the month of December, it could perhaps be tempting for members of staff to take advantage by taking the odd day of unauthorised absence. If you have concerns over the timing of ‘sick days’, do take the time to investigate absence thoroughly before jumping to any conclusions. Always conduct a back to work interview when a member of staff has been off ill and ensure that the company sickness policy is adhered to. Remember that it is also the time of year when illnesses are perhaps most prevalent – so an increase in sickness levels may be genuine. As outlined above, there are many potential HR issues that arise in the run up to Christmas. For more information or to speak to us about a particular HR issue you are facing in your business, please contact us.

Latest news

1

Bellway to build 183 high quality new homes Royal Bowland Park street scene NEW.jpg.jpg

Bellway to build 183 high quality new homes

29 Oct 2025

2

University of Lancashire recognised for entrepreneurship and supporting business growth - Representatives from the University's Business School, local SMEs and the IOEE

University of Lancashire recognised for entrepreneurship and supporting business growth

29 Oct 2025

3

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire BAE Typhoon ECRS Mk2 Radar

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire

28 Oct 2025

4

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold The Mill at Conder Green

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold

28 Oct 2025

5

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm PM+M promotions

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm

27 Oct 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
November / December 2025 Magazine Launch Event
Holiday Inn Hotel
Networking
28 Oct 2025 - 18 Nov 2025

November / December 2025 Magazine Launch Event

Holiday Inn, Blackpool

16:46 - 16:45

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Help to grow management course
Help to grow - barriers to growth.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Sep 2025 - 16 Dec 2025

Help to grow management course

Preston Campus , Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 09 Jan 2026

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre

The Small Business Academy, Blackpool, FY4 5JX

09:30 - 15:30

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women
thumbnail_Emma Weston Illustration WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 18 Mar 2026

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:30 - 15:30

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
06 Nov 2025 - 06 Nov 2025

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November

Porsche Centre South Lakes, Carnforth, LA6 1FW

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Roundtables
10 Nov 2025 - 10 Nov 2025

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner

Lancaster Castle, Lancaster, LA1 1YN

14:00 - 16:00

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity
1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human
2.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
13 Nov 2025 - 13 Nov 2025

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

The AI Lab: E-commerce
Ai Lab ecommerce (1).png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
14 Nov 2025 - 14 Nov 2025

The AI Lab: E-commerce

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 11:30

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV124 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin