Although it is traditionally a time of joy and goodwill, the festive season can present a variety of challenges for employers. To ensure your organisation is fully prepared for everything you may have to contend with this holiday season, let’s run through a few things you need to know about throwing a staff Christmas party that will be remembered for all the right reasons.
Do Christmas parties count as a tax-free benefit?
Providing your Christmas party meets a few key criteria, the good news is that it will qualify as a tax-free benefit. The criteria you need to satisfy include ensuring your party is open to all employees and that it is an event that takes place every year. As this GOV.UK article explains, a staff Christmas party should not be offered under any salary sacrifice scheme and should cost less than £150 per attendee.
If you feel as though your business would benefit from further financial support in Stroud business advisory groups and accountants, such as the team at randall-payne.co.uk/services/accountancy/tewkesbury-accountants/, are available to provide expert advice.
Ensuring appropriate conduct during work-related social events
While it is natural to want to let loose a little at the end of the year, it is important to establish clear policies that set out how you expect your employees to behave during company social events. There are a number of different tactics you could employ here, such as designating managers to monitor behaviours throughout the course of your Christmas party.
It is imperative that your policy protects each of your employees from third-party harassment. This is something that should be enforced with a zero-tolerance approach to any violations, as this could bring your company into disrepute and have very serious long-term consequences.
