Party animal | If the boss loves to party, is it an issue?

For many employers, gone are the days of in-office beer taps and bars, with many businesses encouraging moderation when it comes to alcohol, and setting out work parties that limit the possibility for issues to arise.

Earlier this year, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) urged businesses to cut down on the amount of alcohol served at work events to limit the possibility of workers behaving inappropriately.

“Alcohol doesn’t need to be the main event,” said the CMI boss in response to poll findings that revealed a third of managers had witnessed inappropriate behaviour at staff events where alcohol consumption was present. This is important considering sexual harassment is the most common claim bought to employment tribunals following work or Christmas parties.

However, setting out limiting parameters is a lot harder to do when the boss of a company, or the manager of a team, likes to have a drink and is a bit of a party animal. As managers are the ambassadors of HR policy, a ‘party animal’ boss can often cause an air of pressure for employees in the team to ‘keep up’ with their manager in terms of their desire to get wrecked at every staff party or team drinks.