Getting staff to pay towards Xmas Party

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daveccork

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A friend of mine told me over the weekend that they have to pay €10 towards their xmas party.

He said the reason was that if the company provided them with free drink there is a responsibility on the employer until such time as the employee sobers up !! Has anyone heard of this? is there precedent? Just wondering should I be charging our staff a token amount in advance of the xmas party to cover myself off.

Sounds a bit strange but I suppose I have heard stranger.
 
Duty of Care

SO far as I remeber back in college ( law was a peripheral subject for me ) there was a case once where I think an employee some how sued the employer for "allowing" them get drunk and casuing them seves harm on leaving.

Found it hilarious at the time but these days this sort of thing seem par for the course.
 
We have to pay €10 for our xmas party too! We dont have a massive budget so in order to have a fairly decent night out they ask us to contribute a bit to a drinks fund! Have heard of people having to pay more!
Daveccork..how did the Rolo thing go?! Still curious haha..
 

I can't see how, by contributing the €10, you absolve the company from a duty of care!
If it is a staff party then the employer has a duty of care. It would be questionable how much responsibility the employer has/had. But if some drunken employee ran riot at a staff party and others got injured I could see trouble ahead for the employer, €10 or no €10...
 
We collect a €20 deposit per head and return it on the night (or at least the committee that organises it does). If you don't turn up you don't get your money back.
 
Been at staff parties that provide buses as the company was afraid they were responsible for the staff getting home in a drunken state. This is in a company where a boss about 20 years ago was hit over the head by a disgruntled employee - it led to a strike as they wanted to fire him but the unions were having none of it. Since then this company always charges a nominal amount and never provides a free bar just a couple of glasses of wine with the meal. I'm sure it's linked to employer liability.
 
yes you should. What your staff will get is still pretty good value for only ten yoyo.
 
last year ours was 45 a head and our department paid it all (it included wine with dinner) 50 people put their names down to go, on the night only 40 turned up so it was 450 euro wasted that could have bought more drink for others. This year we are all contributing a non-refundable 25 euro (its in a dearer location this time) I hope that this will stop people wasting the money cause its not theirs.
 
Our company has decided not to contribute anymore to the social club full stop.

Reason seems to be related to potential liability at drink related functions where rascism, and sexual harrassment could occur.
 
What sort of companies do you work in where, even drunk, there is a fear that people cannot conduct them self properly.
 
Bluetonic said:
there is a fear that people cannot conduct them self properly.
Click to expand...
It always amazes me how seemingly normal people change drastically with a few drinks in them. Ive been on our social committee for a few years now..and after an internal social event this summer decided to call it quits. One guy due to retire had too much red vino, passed out in the bathroom but on the way to the floor managed to pull the sink off the wall and half the tiles surrounding it! Next morning..guess who gets the blame..not him..the ones who organised the event!!!We got a boll*ckin for providing too much alcohol!!I dont blame bosses for being worried about being sued/harrassed/blamed etc..ive had first hand experience and have learnt my lesson!
 
I manage a department with over 100 staff and hate the Xmas party. Firstly I have to say sober in case I make a drunken eejit of myself or do what I normally do when really plastered(fall asleep in the corner drooling). Secondly is the scary fact that someone I might have bollocked or is leaving soon or maybe just can't handle their drink will decide to take it out on me.
My company refused point blank to pay for any drink, as PeterMack said above, legal advice was that as an organisation we could be held liable for any issues at the party or if people are driving home
 
Couple of cases in the last few years come to mind...

1. Social Club night out in restuarant only. Some employees retire to a niteclub afterwards. Somebody gets groped and takes a case against the company.
Court case deemed that the company was not responsible because it did not have a duty of care that extended to the niteclub.

2.There was no Social Club, but the employees themselves organised a night out. Someone made a rascist remark and the recipient takes a case against the company.
Court case deemed the company was responsible because it allowed the employees to sell tickets to the event on its premises.
Company had to fork out several €000s.
 
Bluetonic said:
What sort of companies do you work in where, even drunk, there is a fear that people cannot conduct them self properly.
Click to expand...

I used to work as a bartender in a hotel which specialises in company christmas parties etc.

You would be amazed how much people change when they're drunk.

Respectable middle aged suit wearing folk turn into scum. Amazing really. Would put you off drink!
 
One year, 2003 I think, when we were in full cost cutting/staff reduction mode ours was held in a dingy room upstairs in the Central Hotel. We were given two coupons each for a drink and the food was a buffet of sandwiches. Worst Christmas party ever.
 
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