The 12 Days of HR Christmas – Part 1

Christmas is coming… and with it the end of yet another year. Although this time of year is often one for fun and festivities, from an HR perspective, there is a lot to consider.

Here, we take a look at the first 6 of our 12 days of HR.

Day 1 – Seasonal workers

Taking on seasonal workers can work really well for employers that experience an upturn in trade due to the festive season.

However, there are several potential pitfalls to taking on seasonal workers. As with taking on any employer, be thorough and follow legislation by the letter.

Consider whether you use fixed term or zero hours contracts, be sure to categorise whether someone is an employee or a worker, and also be sure to check and document eligibility to work in the UK.

Day 2 – Planning the Christmas party

Many employers still like to follow the tradition of taking staff out for a Christmas party. If you plan to do so, be sure to plan the event carefully, taking account of things such as access, dietary needs and other factors so the event is inclusive for everyone.

It is also a sensible step to issue a statement to employers ahead of the party itself, reminding them of conduct matters such as the dangers of excess alcohol consumption, and behaviours that constitute harassment.

Ultimately, it is an employer’s responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of employees at the Christmas party, so organising transport and seeing that staff all get home safely are worthwhile steps to take.

Day 3 – The Christmas party aftermath

Even if you take the above steps, some employees may get out of hand.  If there has been a misconduct issue at the Christmas party or another work- related event, it is important to take swift action.

If more than one employee was involved in the incident, it is important to listen to both sides and treat all parties fairly.

Day 4 – Unauthorised absence

At this time of year, it can be all too easy to have one too many.  However, unauthorised absence, such as days off or lateness due to hangovers should be treated in the normal manner as they would the rest of the year.

Provided your employee handbook has a policy on lateness and unauthorised absence, it may be possible to make deductions or initiate disciplinary action.

Day 5 – Religious beliefs

Don’t forget that Christmas is a religious holiday and not all employees will hold Christian beliefs. You should therefore be mindful of other faiths and be considerate to employees when they want to celebrate other religious festivals.

Day 6 – Staff gifts

Giving staff a gift to recognise their hard work throughout the year is a nice gesture to make. However, employers need to be mindful of what the gift includes and that the contents don’t discriminate (ie. alcohol may not be an acceptable gift for some due to their religious beliefs), and also that all staff are treated equally.

We hope these first 6 tips will go some way to helping you prepare for the busy Christmas period. We’ll be counting down a further 6 tips in our next blog.