'Tis the Season for Holiday Parties--and Booze-Fueled Employee Missteps
At those firms lucky enough to partake in office celebrations this holiday season, employees should be extra vigilant against “alcohol-induced stupidity,” warns one law firm partner.
“There are no statistics out there to prove this point, but the traditional office holiday party has to be among the top places where claims of sexual harassment and hostile work environment start,” Pullman & Comley partner Daniel Schwartz wrote in a Connecticut Employment Law Blog post.
Schwartz highlights five sexual harassment lawsuits that stemmed from complaints against the unwanted pursuits of liquored-up co-workers, including one incident where a supervisor told his employee that “she could make more money working at Hooters” than at the company.
Kohrman Jackson & Krantz partner Jon Hyman also offered pre-party tips at Ohio Employer’s Law Blog, such as reviewing insurance policies for alcohol-related exclusions and designating party monitors.
Hat Tip: Above the Law.
