It’s the perfect time to discuss summer fun with leaders across all organizations. No matter what line of business you’re in, summer is a time with increased absences amongst your staff due to all things vacation, summer fun, childcare and summer camps galore. In addition to the impacts on your staff during the summer months, many companies take this time to have a company picnic or team celebrations. While work goes on, there are some things to keep in mind if you are a people manager or business leader.
Make sure you are proactive in your communications with staff regarding attendance and requesting time-off in advance for proper staffing needs. This time of year is the perfect time to send a memo or email communications reiterating your policy and “how-to guides” on how to input time-off requests into your systems. In addition to your staff, you should also ensure proper staffing amongst your people leaders, especially if you have new hires coming on board during the summer months. While summer is awesome, you don’t want to find yourself short-staffed and providing a poor on-boarding experience for your newly hired employees.
Many companies tend to have time-off policies for new hires that do not allow use of their PTO until after an introductory period; this may be wise to remind impacted employees or include that reminder in the memo to all-staff regarding the time-off policy and procedures.
Now for the fun stuff! Company picnics! I have been to many over the years, some better than others. This is a great opportunity to come together as an organization outside of work to give thanks to your employees, share their impact to the organization with their loved ones; have some fun away from the office to reset and build a positive team morale (also great for cross-department collaboration and incorporation of remote employees).
However, there are a few things to keep in mind about these summer festivities shared between employee and company; those things involve risk. Sorry to be an HR buzzkill, but the risks that I have heard of resulting in poor execution of a company event are not worth the experience, not even close.
I will begin first by saying that while I am HR- I do support these events; I am even one that supports the beverages that are sometimes offered at these events. What I am not in support of however, is poor communication and planning around these risks.
So, if you proceed with these events, plan, and communicate in advance. If alcohol is being served, have a drink ticket system (reiterate professional and social etiquette that is expected during these events). If employees become intoxicated, make certain they have safe transportation to where they need to go (don’t assume because it’s off company property and/or outside of business hours, that this is not something you (the company) should disregard). Remember that these events should not be mandatory; they should be requested, but unless you are prepared to compensate, be careful making these events mandatory. Otherwise, if employees (specifically hourly paid employees) show-up, they do so on their own time because they want to participate in the experience without expectation of compensation (also, please look this law up if you are in other states, just to be safe).
Other things to consider: does your Worker’s Compensation Insurance Policy cover outside of the office events such as these (if not, you may be able to add additional coverage just to be safe)? Is the location of the event safe, is it safe for families with little ones; is there food served, (highly encouraged if alcohol is present). Are people checking IDs of employees and guests to confirm the legal drinking age? Other: food, drinks (specifically water to avoid dehydration), remind people of what to expect, what to bring if anything (i.e. swimming gear, sunscreen, comfortable shoes, etc.), location, start-time and end-time, objective/agenda of the event, and anything else that may be helpful in creating a fun experience for your staff outside of work, while also limiting potential risks.
Here’s some scary scenarios I have heard about over the years in my HR world: sexual harassment claims, car accidents of guests following the event in which they were under the influence (charges were also filed against the company for negligence), assaults/crimes against employees when they were left by their leaders at the end of the event (don’t leave until your employees leave), and of course the injuries that occurred resulting in significant workers compensation claims.
Now…there are always risks. Just because there are risks does not mean you still can’t have a good time and put on a great company event. To avoid these risks and liabilities, it is all about planning and communication. If you cover your bases on all things that could happen and set up ways to avoid/limit those risks, then your liability lessens from malicious/negligent to accidental/unavoidable. Do what you can to create a fun, rewarding, and safe experience for your staff at summer (or any other time of the year) events.
Much good can come from hosting these events including increased morale amongst staff, increased appreciation and loyalty to the organization, teambuilding, and cross-department collaboration, and so much more. However, these rewards are not worth the risks. The key is to plan, communicate effectively, align your people managers with expectations and do your due diligence to ensure these efforts are in place so you can focus on the fun and not on the risks.
teambuilding.com/blog/company-picnic-ideas
mindtools.com/blog/office-party-dangers
Heather Wall is the director of Human Resources at Brightways Counseling Group. She has 15 years in the HR profession, a master’s degree in management, SHRM-CP, certified strategic HR business partner, certified in strategic workforce planning and a certified human capital strategist. Residing in Central Oregon for the last two years, Wall has worked with several small to mid-size business throughout the state of Oregon, Washington and California as a business partner focusing on building HR infrastructure and balancing compliance and culture within the workplace. In addition to her HR work, Wall volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Deschutes County, serving as an advocate for children in foster care. She resides in Sisters with her husband and two sons. In her spare time, she enjoys doing puzzles, playing in the snow and water (depending on the season), exploring new restaurants and spending time with friends and family.
Brightways Counseling Group • 7515 Falcon Crest Dr., Ste. 200, Redmond
brightwayscounseling.com • 541-527-5392
