6 Ways to Avoid Staff Issues Over the Silly Season

Plan ahead and make sure your staff are aware of your expectations beforehand
 

1.       Remind staff of your expectations about behaviour

It’s a good time of year to outline to staff, or remind them, of your expectations regarding their behaviour at work.  Remind them of your House Rules or Code of Conduct if you have them.  Make staff aware that the rules also apply to all work-related functions, including Christmas functions, client or provider events etc.

Remind staff about dress code (unless it’s fancy dress J) and Harassment or bullying policies/processes (for those who think they are Brad Pitt or Rachael Hunter)

2.       Keep staff and guests safe at Christmas functions

How is alcohol being managed at your Christmas function?  Are drinks being sold?  Are bar staff sufficiently trained?  Is it a private venue?  Is a licence required?  Will there be under-age people attending?  If so, how will that be managed?    Have you carried out a hazard assessment at the venue and put in place any necessary controls?  Is there a first aider/first aid kit handy?  Do you know the venue’s evacuation plan?  How will staff get home safely afterwards?  Perhaps you could consider sober drivers or taxi chits?  Have you communicated H&S information and requirements to the team?

At this point you may be considering that a quiet picnic in the park may be an easier option! Although sand flies and playgrounds can also pose a hazard.

 3.       Manage holiday requests effectively

Have staff applied for leave over Christmas and New Year yet?  Perhaps you could discuss leave requests as a team to ensure you have agreed cover where necessary, or another option could be to use a roster system to manage leave over this period.  Will staff need to be on-call?  Is this contractual?

Do you shut down for any period of time?  If so, remember to provide staff with 14 days’ notice of the shutdown.

 4.       Gifts/Bonuses

Christmas is a good time of year to remind staff about your policy regarding accepting gifts, for example from a client, supplier or provider.  Some organisations pool and raffle gifts so that they are fairly distributed. This ensures staff are less at risk of allegations of accepting an inducement or compromising their integrity. It also is an opportunity for all staff, and not just customer facing employees, to be recognised for a job well done.

Does your organisation provide a Christmas bonus?  If so how is this applied?  Do staff who have had a disciplinary warning receive a bonus?  Is the bonus contractual or discretionary?  You will need to have made these considerations ahead of applying any bonus payments.

 5.       Managing absenteeism

You may decide that sick leave taken on critical days, such as over Christmas and New Year where you may be operating a skeleton staff or are particularly busy, will require a medical certificate, at your organisation’s cost.  A medical certificate for sick leave of 3 or more days can be at the expense of the employee.

Remind staff in advance of your requirements regarding notification of sick leave. Do you require staff to telephone you personally if they are able?  This would enable you to discuss their illness and likely return date to better ascertain the situation. Hangovers may result in more sick leave requests than normal, but thinking about having to phone you to discuss why they need a days’ sick leave could be a good “say when” moment!

 6.       Religious beliefs

Employers should handle matters relating to religious beliefs on a case-by-case basis, by having a discussion with the staff member and then weighing up all the facts.  The Code of Conduct/House Rules and/or harassment management policy documents can also promote a culture of respect for religious diversity.

By now you may be thinking…thank goodness Christmas only comes once a year! Enjoy!

And if you need help or have any questions regarding any of the above just give us a call.