The comeback of the company Christmas party

Company Christmas parties are back in fashion this year and most companies say they’ll even be popping the cork on a little bubbly to help employees celebrate.

“More than 83 percent of companies this year are planning holiday parties,” says John Challenger, President of the international headhunting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

That’s up from just 68 percent of businesses who held parties last year, and nearly back to the 90 percent who partied before the recession began in 2007. About half of the human resource managers surveyed said alcohol will be on the menu.

With all the trouble you can get into mixing booze with bosses, you might wonder whether it’s worth going at all: Challenger says you probably don’t want to skip it.

“Because you build relationships, not just with your colleagues,” says Challenger, “But sometimes with a superior. You get to see them in more friendly settings.”

Once you’ve decided it would be in your best interest to do a little networking, you’ll have to figure out how to make sure you stay out of trouble. Seattle employment attorney Karen Sutherland has seen plenty of lawsuits come out of the annual company bash.

In one instance, drinking at a holiday party led to a guest being groped. Another lawsuit was filed over a drunk employee nibbling on the elbow of someone else. One case led to a reprimand. Another ended with the person losing their job.

You may not be on the clock, you might not even be at the office, but Sutherland says that doesn’t mean you can’t get fired for your bad behavior.

“In most employment contexts people are at will, which means they can be terminated for any reason with or without notice and with or without cause,” Sutherland explains.

It might not be just liquor you’re offered at the party this year. With recreational marijuana now legal in our state, there’s a chance there could be some pot floating around.

“Regardless of whether their company has a drug policy, there’s nothing prohibiting employers from firing employees who use marijuana either on or off the premises,” says Sutherland.

If a business has a contract with the federal government, Sutherland says they would be required to be a drug free workplace regardless of state law. Courts have found that even employees with prescriptions for marijuana are not excluded from the company drug policy.

So, if at this year’s company party you find yourself getting some funny looks from your coworkers, it’s probably time to put down the bubbly and sneak out as gracefully as possible.