HR Solutions Blog
Home HR Outsourcing News Roundup: Holidays in the Workplace Edition
Toggle nav
HR Outsourcing News Roundup: Holidays in the Workplace Edition
No CommentsThe holiday season is a yearly time of good cheer and myriad celebrations — and a total minefield at the office. Between awkward gift exchange scenarios, someone drinking too much at the holiday office party, and employees of different faiths requesting different days off, there is a lot for employers to be mindful of.
This week’s HR Outsourcing News Roundup brings you articles and blog posts with information about avoiding risk (and having fun!) as you celebrate the holidays in the workplace.
Sticky Situation: Classic Holiday Office Party Etiquette. The Huffington Post: “Attend. This is not a choice, no matter how casual the invitation is. The most important word in holiday office party is ‘office.’ It is an intra-company networking event. It is your chance to shine and build relationships internally. Do your homework before you attend. Find out about your colleagues or superiors successes during the past year and seek them out to congratulate them. Make a point of meeting colleagues outside of your team.”
Posting Holiday Party Photos on Social Media? Make Sure Employees Consent. Workforce: “It may be sufficient to have a statement in your employee handbook advising employees that, from time to time, the company may post pictures of employees on the company’s website, Facebook page, etc., and employees who wish to opt out should advise HR in writing. The overly cautious employer, though, will want this to be an opt-in process, with employees providing specific written consent for the use of their likeness in photos.”
A Business Owner’s Legal Guide to the Holidays. FindLaw: “Employees working on holidays may expect to get paid a little something extra. Generally, however, employers are not obligated to pay employees a higher rate than the normal wage for working on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other holidays, unless the workers are covered by a collective bargaining agreement or an individual employment contract that states otherwise.”
Don’t Be A Scrooge: Expert Tips For Employers to Accommodate Employees’ Religious Beliefs this Holiday Season. La Jolla, California, Patch: “According to Jim Fessenden, partner at Fisher & Phillips in San Diego, religious-based harassment claims can be just as costly and detrimental to a company as sexual or racial harassment suits. They also tend to generate significant publicity. Both California and federal law states that employers must ‘reasonably accommodate’ workers’ religious beliefs. While the numbers of religion-related claims filed with the federal EEOC are decreasing from an all-time high in 2011 of 4,157, the number filed in 2013 was still substantial at 3,721.”
The Definitive Guide to Buying The Boss a Christmas Present. Inc.: “Are you ready? Really ready? Because once you read this, your holiday shopping days will be greatly simplified. Here’s what you should get your boss this year (and every year): Nothing. Not a typo. The workplace is not an egalitarian place. There is a hierarchy and people who have hire/fire power authority over you don’t get a present from you. This is not because you have a bad boss, or as revenge over that small bonus. It’s just not the proper thing to do. The boss can give you a present, but it does not go both ways.”
Contact us to learn more about how to handle holidays in the workplace.
HR Solutions is a human resources outsourcing firm based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We eliminate human resources headaches for businesses with 10 to 1,000 employees by handling their payroll, employee benefits, regulatory compliance and other staffing needs. Contact us to learn how we can streamline your company’s human resources function to save money and reduce risk.
