Something for the weekend…
The annual Christmas party is always a high point for employees, and there are few who have not had the pleasure of working the day after with a festive hangover.
But could this jolly holiday fun be leading to an extra cost for employers and the economy?
According to MTD Training, a management training organisation, hangovers at Christmas lead to employees taking sick days. In 2009, these cost the British economy £216 million.
The organisation has issued six tips for employers planning this year’s seasonal festivities:
- Have the party on a Friday so that employees can recover on their own time.
- Set boundaries for behaviour expected at the party and make it clear that hangover sick days are not company policy.
- Keep an eye on employees who are not regular or heavy drinkers, because they may overdo it at the party.
- Offer sensible drinking advice to employees.
- Hold the party at a hotel where employees can stay over so that employers know they are safe.
- Hold employee away-days after the party.
- Offer incentives, such as time off for Christmas shopping, to those employees who are in work the day after the party.
These might be sensible suggestions, but with the Employee Benefits Christmas bash coming up next week, the editorial team might just have to hide this particular report from the editor.