Work Christmas parties can be the topic of water cooler kōrero for weeks after the big event.
But that gossip has the potential to go far beyond the office walls, making its way online or into the news headlines, and creating a reputational headache for the organisation involved.
As the business owner, head of HR, or CEO, you want people to relax and enjoy the end-of-year celebration, but you also need to think about the collective responsibilities to both look after your people and protect your company’s reputation.
Here are a few tips and tricks to ensure you and your team have a great time – without having to call in the crisis team the next morning.
1. Responsible Event Management
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- Make sure you have a healthy food to alcohol ratio
- Ensure you have sober drivers, let people know who they are, and support them to be sober with creative mocktails or free soft drinks
- Have contact numbers available for local taxis (or use Uber) and either pre-book/pay or provide your team with a taxi allowance
- Consider going alcohol-free, especially if it is a daytime event and/or whānau are also in attendance
2. Clear Communications
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- Let your team know about all the event details – including food, sober drivers and taxis
- Clearly outline the company’s expectations of appropriate behaviour, including alcohol consumption, drink-driving etc
- Diplomatically remind your people about relevant company policies, i.e. Health and Safety, Code of Conduct – including appropriate use of personal and organisational social media, and taking photos and videos
3. Confirm your “Aunties” (or Uncles)
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- Your event “Aunties” are the ones keeping a friendly watchful eye over proceedings – making sure no-one is indulging too much, putting people into a taxi, and speaking to the team lead or manager if there’s a problem
- They could be young or old, as long as they are senior enough to be respected by your people if words need to be had
4. Check your Crisis Comms Plan
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- When was the last time you reviewed your Crisis Comms Plan?
- Get it out and check:
- Do any contact details need to be updated?
- Do sections like social media use need to be updated given how quickly the online environment evolves?
- Remind yourself and your senior people about roles and responsibilities in the event of an issue
- And if you don’t have a crisis comms plan, now is the right time to dedicate some head space to it; regardless of the nature of your business or organisation, an unexpected crisis could pop up at any time – if you need a hand, give us a call, we’re here to help
5. Get on the Front foot
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- In the unfortunate event that something goes wrong, put your crisis comms plan into action to get on top of the issue quickly
- Notify relevant authorities if required – and consider whether you need to communicate with clients and/or stakeholders – especially if an apology is in order
- Notify your comms people (or Shine) as soon as possible
- Keep an active eye on the news and social media and respond efficiently
- Send clear comms to the rest of your team to reinforce expectations and policies
- And document, document, document
At Shine, we’ve been called in to provide issues management support on numerous occasions after something has gone wrong at a Christmas do – but it’s much easier to manage a situation proactively if the right plans are in place to prevent an issue in the first place.
If you need a hand with your crisis communications planning – including unexpected Christmas antics – give us a call! It’s not too late to make sure you have the right policies and processes in place to support you for Christmas 2025.