Christmas parties can undoubtedly be a good mechanism to reward hard work and celebrate achievements at the end of the calendar year, but they can also be a major risk for employers.
A 2018 survey found that one in 10 UK workers have been dismissed or disciplined following a work Christmas party, with reasons including getting involved in a fight, taking drugs, or inappropriate behaviour, including sexual harassment. A further 8% felt like they had to leave their job after a Christmas party as they could no longer face working with their former colleagues.
Regulatory considerations
Employers may think that the majority of incidents that take place at a work Christmas party are an internal matter, and overlook wider regulatory considerations.
Each regulator will have its own expectations regarding the standards to be maintained by its membership and not all regulators apply their rules in the same way. The same can be said for reporting - what must be reported, at what juncture, in what format and by what means will be different from regulator to regulator.
Depending upon the infraction in question and any connected finding the regulator might have a range of measures at its disposal. It could issue a reprimand, a suspension (eg of a membership or trading licence or the ability of a natural person to hold a specific office or function) or removal.
Discrimination law
Although Guernsey's new discrimination legislation will come into force in a phased approach from October...
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