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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 5 december 2017

American Living:

Bag the mistletoe, cut the booze: Office parties sober up

By MARLEY JAY been going up each year sites including Vox and Re- ers limit the number of free ling hallways, checking se-
AP Business Writer as the economy improved. code, won’t have an open drinks or the time they’re cluded areas and trying to
NEW YORK (AP) — ‘Tis the “As soon as you introduce bar this year at its holiday available. A small minority watch for people who look
season to keep that office like they are stuck in an un-
holiday party from adding comfortable situation — for
to the list of workplace sex- example, inappropriate
ual misconduct scandals. touching or a conversation
With the names of Wein- that’s taken a bad turn. If
stein, Spacey and Lauer they’re visibly uncomfort-
likely getting more men- able, he’ll intervene and
tions this year than Dancer, plan a later conversation
Prancer and Blitzen, em- with the person responsible.
ployers are making sure The Challenger, Gray &
their year-end staff merry- Christmas survey shows
making doesn’t generate that about 80 percent of
more inappropriate con- companies will have a holi-
duct. day party, the same as last
There will be less booze at year. And not everyone is
many. An independent planning changes. Antho-
business organization has ny Vitiello, the marketing
renewed its annual warn- director for software com-
ing not to hang mistletoe. pany UltraShipTMS, said he
And some will have party planned his company’s
monitors, keeping an eye event and didn’t rethink it.
out for inappropriate be- For the last few years the
havior. firm’s has marked the holi-
TV and movies often de- day with drinks and passed
pict office parties as wildly hors d’oeuvres in the wine
inappropriate bacchanals cellar of a local restaurant.
or excruciatingly awkward In this Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, photo, ornaments hang on a Christmas tree on display in New York. The Vitiello thinks the formal set-
fiascoes, if not, horrifyingly, office holiday party is getting shaken up as reports of sexual misconduct by famous and powerful ting makes the event calm-
both. But even a regular men have many companies thinking harder about how to stop bad behavior in the workplace. A er. “We haven’t had any
office party can be com- survey shows fewer companies will serve alcohol this year than last year, but HR experts say that’s incidents, not a single one
not enough.
plicated because the rules (AP Photo/Swayne B. Hall) I can recall, where any-
people normally observe one got loud or over-con-
at work don’t quite ap- alcohol at an off-site ac- party and will instead give have cash bars instead of sumed,” he said. He added
ply, which makes it easier tivity, peoples’ guards are employees two tickets they an open bar. The National that many of the Fairlawn,
for people to accidentally dropped,” said Ed Yost, can redeem for drinks. It will Federation of Independent New Jersey, company’s 25
cross a line — or try to get manager of employee re- also have more food than Businesses recommends all employees go out for drinks
away with serious misbe- lations and development in years past. The company of those steps, and adds once a month, and he’s
havior. Especially when too for the Society for Human recently fired its editorial another that might seem not aware of any cases of
much drinking is involved. Resource Management director, Lockhart Steele, obvious these days: don’t misconduct. Yost said he’s
According to a survey by based in Alexandria, Vir- after a former employee hang mistletoe. It’s been not making changes to his
Chicago-based consult- ginia. “It’s presumed to be made allegations of sexual giving those suggestions for group’s event either. He
ing company Challenger, a less formal, more social harassment against him. A several years. Yost said he added that companies
Gray & Christmas, only 49 environment. Some people survey by Bloomberg Law always gets a lot of requests concerned about sexual
percent of companies plan will drink more than they said those kinds of safe- for advice in planning and misconduct need to look
to serve alcohol at their hol- typically would on a Friday guards are common: while managing these events, further than the holiday
iday events. Last year that night or a Saturday be- most companies ask bar- but he’s getting even more party. “While there are ad-
number was 62 percent, cause it’s an open bar or a tenders or security or even of them this year. He said ditional complications that
the highest number in the free cocktail hour.” The Huff- some employees to keep he’ll be spending his corpo- are associated with a holi-
decade the firm has run ington Post reported Friday an eye on how much par- rate holiday party the way day event, that’s one day
its survey. The number had that Vox Media, which runs tygoers are drinking, oth- he always does: patrol- a year,” he said.q