With Thanksgiving now well behind us and COVID something that feels more manageable than in past years (notice my use of “feels”), some companies are planning for their first holiday party in four years.
Of course, I’ve written about holiday parties before and much hasn’t changed. The biggest change from 2019 is that cannabis is
Imagine, as that old movie plot goes, falling asleep 25 years ago and waking up now. Beyond the technology, there might be nothing stranger than driving on Connecticut highways and seeing billboards for selling cannabis (in Massachusetts) nearly every mile. (Though, don’t look now, but the state is banning those.)
Well, it’s about to
It’s mostly a coincidence that my colleague, Jarad Lucan returns today with a post on a favorite topic of ours: Holiday parties. While most of it isn’t groundbreaking (holiday parties haven’t changed all that much over the last decade), Jarad really focuses in on the key issues.
So, enjoy your holiday parties over the next
What is it about the holiday party that makes otherwise decent, hard-working people lose their mind?
Alcohol is certainly the main reason, in my view. Open bars are invitations to lots of craziness. (Just ask Katy Perry.) Since it is unlikely (and unrealistic) that all companies will move to “dry” parties (though some
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There are no statistics out there to prove this point, but the traditional office holiday party has to be among the top places where claims of sexual harassment and hostile work environment start.
Indeed, just a cursory look at some federal employment cases shows a common thread that run through each of them: alcohol-induced
This month, I’ve recapped some thoughts on the office holiday party in the United States (available here, here and here.) But by and large, holiday parties in the United States are fairly tame — particularly when compared with our friends in Great Britain. 
Whether that’s through litigation or tradition is a question for sociologists
After my two-part series of posts on office holiday parties (here and here), I thought I would pass along a more humorous post about holiday parties. A temporary employment firm has compiled its list of the most outrageous holiday party hijinks.
Creative Group, a temporary employment firm focused on the advertising, marketing
Yesterday, I talked about issue spotting for holiday parties. But what are some pro-active steps an employer can take? Well, there is no "one size fits all" approach. .jpg)
Here are some suggestions to ponder that may fit for a particular employer.
To Drink or Not to Drink
With the Office Holiday Party scene upon us, most articles, like this one in the New York Times tend to point out the obvious risks associated with them — sexual harassment. In my view, if employers are not aware that mixing alcohol with co-workers in a festive setting can be a recipe for harassment claims,
A recent article by the Connecticut Law Tribune reported on the trial of two bar workers who claimed that they were terminated in retaliation for reporting a supervisor’s alleged sexual harassment of a waitress. According to court records In the trial of Daniel Van Kruiningen and Kimberly Chatterton v. Plan B, LLC d/b/a Mohegan