December 16, 2015
How to Protect Your Business During Holiday Parties
Holiday office parties are great–employees get a chance to cut loose and relax while bonding with coworkers. They boost office morale and show employees that you care about them. However, amid all the merriment of celebrating the holidays, sometimes problems arise that could make your company liable to damages. Here’s how to have a great party while avoiding major mishaps and costing your company money.
Understand Your State’s Laws
Before throwing a holiday office party, make sure to be informed about your state’s laws regarding liability. For example, Missouri follows the Pure Comparative Fault Rule, while Kansas follows the 50 percent Bar Rule under the Modified Comparative Fault Rule. Under the Pure Comparative Fault Rule, the damaged party can still collect damages even if that same damaged party is 99 percent at fault in the incident. However, under the 50 percent rule, the damaged party can only collect damages if it is 49 percent or less at fault.
Planning for a Safe Holiday Party
When planning your holiday office party, you might want to consider not actually holding the party at the office. Choose an offsite venue like a restaurant or event space. That way you can avoid any mishaps happening in the office, like damage to your property or misuse of work equipment. This is especially true if alcohol will be involved at the holiday party. Keep in mind that your business could be held liable for accidents that occur as a result of employees drinking at the office. On that same note, while it’s a nice idea to pay for employees to have a nice dinner at the holiday party, it’s best to leave alcohol off the bill. Avoid encouraging or enabling employees to over imbibe. This will help to keep your employees and your business safe.
Have an Attorney on Your Side
Daniel C. Miller is an experienced attorney serving the Kansas City area. Contact our office today for legal assistance in protecting your rights.