Walking the office party tightrope

It’s the time of the year again for the annual office party. Love it or hate it, office parties are a significant event on the calendar for most companies. It provides the opportunity for everyone to let their hair down and mingle in an environment that differs from the ordinary. However, throwing a fabulous party is not without its problems.

Office parties have often been likened to walking on a tightrope for HR professionals planning and running them. On one hand, they should be exciting enough for employees to enjoy themselves and have a good time. On the other, there are a multitude of potential pitfalls that one could fall into, which could lead to disastrous consequences for both the employees and the company. It is crucial, then, for HR to create a balance between fun and caution, in order for a party to truly rock.

Purposeful partying

In order to have good, clean fun, HR must be clear from the very beginning as to what the purpose for the party is. Taking the time to sit down and plan what HR hopes to achieve will go a long way towards preparing for possible negative scenarios and preventing such incidents from occurring in the first place.

According to Gabriel Yang, media and events manager from e27 Singapore, a media organisation that focuses on Asian tech start-ups, parties serve the purpose of having “a casual catch-up for everyone in a friendly environment”. It’s a good gauge to see how everyone is doing.

For Smith Leong from Waddup! Events, parties are meant to show appreciation for employees and to motivate them. “It is more about giving them a sense of belonging,” says Leong. “We just want to create a fun environment for everyone and not focus so much on work during internal parties.”

Grace Yong, marketing and communications manager at Singapore Marriott Hotel, agrees with his philosophy. “Office parties help to create a sense of bonding within the company and enhance the quality of life at work,” she says. “Memories are shared over a good time of feasting and merry-making.”

Team bonding is one of the most significant reasons for office parties and if HR keeps that objective in mind, it will impact the way the party is planned and executed. It may not be the panacea for the perfect office party, but it does help make office parties meaningful.

Party planning

You do not always have to use a professional party planner to plan a fancy party. Many organisations actually prefer to do it on their own not just because of the lower costs involved, but also to get employees involved and excited about the event.

According to Aaron Boekestein, business director of PHD Singapore, typical parties by Omnicom Media Group (which they are a part of) are “hugely interactive” where everyone feels like they are contributing to the fun.

“Each year, Omnicom Media Group Singapore pulls together a new organisational committee to drive the party’s theme, coordination, activities, logistics and location,” says Boekestein.

“Our Christmas parties are always coordinated and managed by the staff,” he emphasises. “Each year we try to place someone new at the helm of the organising committee who can provide new perspective and direction, which keeps each party fresh.”

Although staff are expected to chip in, the HR department usually starts the ball rolling by initiating party plans, says Yong.

When employees have a say in the type of party they want, chances are that it won’t be a boring party where people are eager to leave.

Rockin’ parties

With the employees at the helm, it is not difficult to organise a rockin’ party. At Marriott, no matter what kind of office party it is, ranging from hotel-wide to departmental ones, food is always the employees’ main priority.

“Food is the main highlight of the party and the menu always follows a theme,” explains Yong. “Most recently, our Rooms department threw a party to celebrate Hari Raya Puasa. Associates of all races and nationalities participated by bringing home-cooked Malay food and dressed up in traditional clothing.”

Games and activities also help liven up such celebrations. During Christmas, Yong recounts that the Sales and Marketing department typically throws a Christmas party with activities like “Best Dressed Contest” and other festive games.

As for Omnicom Media Group, Boekestein says that the whole company is divided into groups and assigned a theme and a brief. “Each team then choreographs a performance based on their assigned team,” he describes.

“As we make our way through the teams throughout the night, the later performers tend to be the best – they’ve had more time to pluck up their ‘Dutch courage’!” he laughs.

According to him, nothing kills the buzz more than when half the crowd leaves before the night gets going. Leong agrees with this, saying that the biggest problem he faces when it comes to office parties at Waddup! Events is that some people just want to go home right after dinner instead of joining in the party events.

To tackle this issue, Omnicom Media Group came up with some interesting ways to keep people there.

“We like to hand out vouchers and lucky-door prizes throughout the night,” Boekestein says. “It always helps to have a grand prize at the end of the night.”

He adds that the performances throughout the night tend to keep everyone entertained and involved for the whole evening.

Party poopers

That being said, too much of a good thing might be a recipe for disaster. Balancing fun with precautionary measures is a tough tightrope to walk, and HR should be aware of the potential entanglements that companies can get snared in. This way, they can better prepare for possible eventualities.

Having a food crisis is the last thing anyone would want at a party. In a multi-cultural society like Singapore, it is vital to remember that there may be employees of various religious beliefs who may be vegetarian or unable to eat certain foods. Ignoring their dietary needs only shows insensitivity and a lack of concern about staff.

“Sometimes, we find catering companies don’t cater for halal or kosher cuisine,” says Boekestein.

“This is an oversight unique to the APAC region, and something to consider when party planning for 100-over employees.”

Next comes the perennial love-hate relationship that party planners have with alcohol. Although alcohol is generally seen as a necessity for employees to ‘loosen up’ and become more relaxed, it comes with a multitude of problems. For one, there will always be employees who get so bedazzled with the idea of free unlimited booze that they guzzle down far too much.

“Sometimes people take on new personas when they have hit the free-flow bar a little hard over the course of the evening,” says Boekestein.

Such lapses from usual behaviour may be detrimental for one’s professional reputation, for instance, consider the ramifications of the usually-reserved intern doing a striptease in front of the whole company. Likewise, seeing employees pass out drunk is not going to earn them brownie points with the boss. Although parties are usually considered a break from the ordinary work day, the behaviour of employees during such events is still being observed.

However, one’s reputation aside, there are greater acts of danger that could happen due to the overconsumption of alcohol.

“Once, an ex-colleague disappeared during the party,” shares Leong. “We searched all over for him and discovered that he had driven home in a drunken stupor. He did not even remember driving home that night!”

These are very real problems when employees consume too much alcohol which could be rectified in several ways. Before the night begins, a gentle reminder never hurts by way of telling employees that moderation is the new sexy. Moreover, what happens during the office party does not always stay in the party – it is unlikely that you would wish to see embarrassing pictures or videos of yourself on YouTube or Facebook. So, it helps to keep a tab on the drinks.

“The best way to manage the situation is to monitor the bar tab,” advises Boekestein. “Don’t hand over your full beverage budget at the beginning of the evening – instead, ration it throughout the night.”

Although problems such as sexual harassment and drunken fights may not be particularly widespread occurrences in Asia, they must not be overlooked. Remember – the office party is still considered an extension of the normal work environment even if it is at a separate venue and outside normal working hours. Getting involved in litigation issues will only embroil your organisation in a messy legal battle and ruin the reputation of the company.

Office parties may be the equivalent of walking on a tightrope, but with adequate planning and preparation, there is no reason why HR cannot keep its balance. Let’s drink to that!