As a follow up on our prior blog, The Office ‘Non-Denominational Holiday Mixer’: Tips for keeping Everyone Safe and Out of Trouble During Company Holiday Parties, we recap the best measures the party planning committee can implement to keep everyone safe during the holiday season. In this blog we focus on keeping the party from getting out of control and getting everyone home safely.
Alcohol and Liability:
The two biggest tips regarding alcohol are:
- Use vendors that carry liquor liability insurance and use TABC Certified Servers
- Create an environment that encourages alcohol consumption in moderation
Using vendors that carry liquor liability insurance and use TABC certified servers certainly helps shift the liability. Having the party at a reputable bar, restaurant, or hotel will take care of this. If the celebration is at a private venue, and a bartender service is needed, you will want to make sure you ask the right questions. Choosing a bartender service carrying liquor liability shifts the liability off of the company, so be sure to ask for a certificate of insurance (COI) to verify they have liquor liability in place and not just general liability. TABC certified servers are trained to know when someone has been overserved, so make sure the bartender service useS TABC certified servers.
The next tip is to create an environment that encourages alcohol consumption in moderation. We have all been to parties where two or three drink vouchers are offered per person. Clearly this is not foolproof, but it helps set the tone towards consumption. If an open bar is the direction a company chooses, it might be wise to limit the amount of time the bar is open. The longer the party, the more opportunity people have to consume alcohol. Shutting the bar down for about 30 minutes or 1 hour before the party ends is also a good idea.
Get Home Safe!
Making sure everyone gets home safely is by far the biggest concern executives should have when throwing a holiday bash. The best tip here is to do everything you can to facilitate safe rides home. Suggest your employees have a DD or use a ride share. We looked up the link to set up ride sharing vouchers for your event in case you would like to implement:
Here’s info about Lyft Events: https://www.lyft.com/events
Here’s info about Uber Events: https://www.uber.com/us/en/business/uber-events/
Encourage your employees not to use scooters or electric bikes for a safe ride home. It is illegal to ride them while intoxicated and dangerous to ride at night. Encourage everyone to have a plan prior to the party to avoid any game time decisions. We want to make sure everyone gets home safe…always!
Summary of Top Tips:
In summary most companies have the desire to have fun but be safe. These are the top items founders, co-founders, execs and the party planning committee should consider:
- Use third party vendors that have liquor liability and use TABC certified servers
- Make it an environment that moderates alcohol consumption
- Encourage everyone to have a plan for getting home prior to the party
- Encourage the use of a ride share
- Don’t ride scooters or electric bikes after drinking at night
Bonus Tips:
CEOs: Don’t go to the afterparty…ever!!!
Chat with your legal counsel about your liability and agent if you have questions about coverage for your holiday party.