Should the office Christmas party be abolished?

Standards of behaviour do not fall away with the first glass of prosecco. Crucially, employers can be held vicariously liable for harassment, physical or sexual assault, discrimination, and injury associated with work-related social events.

For many, the workplace Christmas party is a highlight of the year: a chance to relax, swap spreadsheets for sequins, and see colleagues in a different light. For others — especially those responsible for people, compliance and risk — it is the most anxious date in the calendar.

So here is the uncomfortable question: should the Christmas party be abolished altogether?

It sounds dramatic, but it is a debate that quietly resurfaces every year. We recently touched on this on The HR Room podcast with employment law expert Adrian Twomey, who reflected on how a well-intentioned celebration can quickly become a serious HR and legal issue. The tone was not alarmist, but the message was clear: the Christmas party is not just a social night out.

In legal terms, it is usually regarded as an extension of the workplace. Both Irish and UK caselaw have repeatedly confirmed this position. Whether the party is held in a hotel, a restaurant or a rented venue, and whether it takes place after hours or at the weekend, employers generally remain responsible for what happens.

Mary Cullen: Behaviour that might once have been dismissed as harmless is now, rightly, examined through the lens of respect, dignity, safety and inclusion.

Standards of behaviour do not fall away with the first glass of prosecco. Crucially, employers can be held vicariously liable for harassment, physical or sexual assault, discrimination, and injury associated with work-related social events. The fact the party is off-site or outside working hours offers very limited protection.

There remains a widespread misconception that once the working day ends, so too does the employer’s responsibility. In reality, people experience the Christmas party as social, but the law continues to treat it as work. 

Even when employers successfully defend legal liability, that is rarely the end of the story. The fallout from a single incident can last far longer than the hangover. What is often underestimated is not just the legal exposure, but the human and organisational damage that can linger for years.

Strained working relationships, formal grievances, internal investigations, mediation processes, suspensions, resignations and dismissals can all flow from incidents at the Christmas party. When incidents involve drink-driving, serious injury or sexual assault, the consequences can be devastating and life-changing, not just career-limiting.

Even where matters never reach the Workplace Relations Commission or a courtroom, the financial cost to organisations can be enormous when reputational damage, lost productivity, legal advice, consultants, mediation, investigations and staff turnover are taken into account. A party that cost a few thousand euro to host can end up costing multiples of that to resolve.

This is from personal experience, this is not theoretical. Trust me, I have been providing HR and investigation services to Irish businesses for over 20 years, and from the earliest November Christmas parties each year, our inbox fills quickly. 

We have seen it all: violence, serious injury, sexual harassment, sexual assault, indecent behaviour in bathrooms and public spaces, and people crossing lines with colleagues that should never be crossed. The patterns repeat year after year.

And yet, despite all of this, the Christmas party endures. That is because culture still matters. These events mark the end of a year’s effort and acknowledge collective achievement.

To remove it entirely would feel, to some, like stripping away one of the last remaining social rituals of working life. This is the tension now facing employers: the Christmas party can strengthen culture, but it also has the power to unravel it overnight.

Personally, I am not a fan of abolishing the Christmas party altogether — that would be a real loss. Shared celebration still matters. But after more than two decades of dealing with the festive fallout, it is clear that something has to change. The way we approach these events needs to be rethought, with far greater intention, leadership and foresight than ever before.

The traditional formula — open bar, late finish, minimal boundaries — is increasingly hard to justify in a working world shaped by higher behavioural standards, stronger awareness of rights, and far less tolerance for misconduct. As a result, many organisations are quietly re-engineering how they celebrate.

Daytime events replace late nights. Alcohol-limited or alcohol-free gatherings substitute for open bars. Smaller, team-based celebrations take the place of large, open-ended functions. Clear training and communications on behavioural expectations in advance go some way towards minimising risk.

These versions of the Christmas party may sound less glamorous, but they are also far less likely to feature in an investigation file, a disciplinary hearing or at the Workplace Relations Commission.

Behaviour that might once have been dismissed as harmless is now, rightly, examined through the lens of respect, dignity, safety and inclusion. Employers are expected to protect their people not just during working hours, but during work-related social events.

Employees, in turn, are expected to recognise that after hours does not mean outside policy, and that festive misjudgement can become a commercial, legal and leadership failure.

• Mary Cullen is the founder and managing director of Insight HR