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How to keep your Christmas party on the right side of employment law

Here are the IoD Information & Advisory Service’s top tips on keeping your Christmas party hassle-free so you don’t have to worry about picking up the pieces afterwards.

As the old joke says, the worst thing about the morning after the office Christmas party is having to find a new job! Companies maintain the Christmas party tradition in part as an expression of thanks to staff for their efforts over the year. Yet the sometimes dubious reputation of the office Christmas party also stems from the British tradition which reinforces an established order by allowing its temporary overthrow in the form of a chaotic celebration. And that’s where the problems start. Regarding the Christmas party as the one day when staff can let off steam, safe in the knowledge that normal rules have been suspended, is simply wrong. The laws which regulate company activities do not take a holiday on party night.

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