It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
For many employees, the end-of-year holiday party is something they really look forward to. Attendees get free food, social time with coworkers, participate in some fun games or activities, take advantage of networking opportunities, and arguably the most sought after perk, copious amounts of free booze.
I think you know where we’re going with this. Let us paint a picture that unfortunately is all too possible and maybe even touches a little too close to home.
You’ve spent weeks, maybe even months, planning a holiday party, and all of your employees are pumped for it. It’s the final hurrah before your company takes a break for the holidays or many employees go on vacation. The party goes incredibly, everyone’s feeling great and it’s time to head out.
Cut scene.
It's the first thing in the morning and your phone is ringing nonstop. You frantically pick it up and put on your “professional” voice. It’s an emergency and your CEO is freaking out. Someone had a little too much to drink at the party last night and got into an accident. They’re in the hospital. They’ll live – but their quality of life is about to change significantly.
What happens next?
Tip: before you throw all caution to the wind and party the night away, check your business insurance policy before the day of the party to see if it includes liquor liability. If your policy doesn’t include this, we can help! Get in touch with one of our advisors.
If you’ve found yourself in a similar, unfortunate situation and you’re looking for guidance, let’s connect. Depending on the extent of injuries your employee could face long term disability and require costly medical and rehabilitation support: physiotherapy, speech therapy, and mental health support to name a few.
Your business could also face legal repercussions – your injured employee can choose to sue. If we can give some advice, consider a two-pronged approach:
Pssst...Humi is licensed to offer both employee benefits plans and commercial insurance solutions. What does this mean for you? Well, we’re uniquely positioned to support businesses in these unfortunate events by helping the claims process on both fronts.
Throwing a holiday party rager with unlimited alcoholic drinks for the people you spend 40 hours a week with may sound like an incredible way to make your company the best place to work.
It really isn’t.
If you’re planning on serving alcohol, here are a few things you can implement to mitigate risk:
Yes, Andrea is actually writing them every two months. Got questions about something in an email? No problem – reply to the email and she’ll get back to you.
We know that HR is evolving and you don’t need to be told the same advice you've been hearing for years.
A list of resources that we find useful. If a template or an article has helped us, it’s probably going to help you too.
Hey there 👋 my name is Andrea Bartlett.
I’m the Director of HR at Humi, and I’m obsessed with all things people and human resources. Throughout my time working in a range of industries, I’ve learned that one thing is clear: the world of work is changing and HR professionals are leading the charge.
I believe that businesses should know their people as well as they know their product. But people are complex, and the solutions aren’t always easy. That’s how Think with Humi will help.
Written by me, this newsletter is designed to give you insight into the relevant and raw people challenges, and give you the tools to enable you to continuously to shape the future of work.
Written by a people leader, for people leaders.
