Employment lawyer issues warning that you could be fired for misbehaving at your Christmas work party
6 December 2019, 11:27
Christmas work parties are in full swing, but make sure you don’t pay the ultimate price for being too wild.
With Christmas just around the corner, work Christmas parties up and down the UK are starting.
Whether they’re in the office, at a local pub or at a bar, everyone has the opportunity to dance, have a few drinks and celebrate the year’s hard work.
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However, you could pay the ultimate price following your Christmas party if you misbehave, employment lawyer Priya Cunningham warns.
Talking to the Daily Record, Priya, an employment lawyer at Watermans Solicitors, said that while you are at a work Christmas party you are still technically on “company time”.
She explained that employer’s have to remember their reputation and the “damage” to their business that can be caused by “employee’s conduct on a night out”.
She said: “Bosses are also vicariously liable for their employees’ actions. If an employee assaults someone on a night out, leaving them with a life changing injury - such as brain damage - the employer may also be liable for their actions.
“It’s important to get advice from our employment law specialist if you’re facing the sack after your Christmas work do.”
Of course, a lot of companies will encourage you to have fun and let loose at the Christmas party, but there are several things you should not do to avoid receiving a warning from your employer, or even the sack.
Priya recommends not doing the following:
Engaging in acts of violence: Becoming violent after drinking at showing aggression
Breaking health and safety rules: Forgetting to lock up because you are intoxicated
Anything illegal: Brining and taking recreational drugs
Incapacity: Arriving at work the next day still drunk
Harassment: Sexual harassment including inappropriate touching and advances
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