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Send Your Employees a Safe and Sober Message About Office
Parties and Drinking
The office is frequently a place where employees and employers get
together to celebrate special events. Office parties typically mean
lots of music, food and drinks. If the drinks include alcohol, however,
office parties can have very unfortunate consequences. Opinions vary
regarding the appropriateness of making alcoholic beverages available
at office parties or other company-sponsored events. Ignoring the
possibility that some employees or guests may drive home "under
the influence" invites trouble.
Improper use of alcohol may expose employers to liability under tort,
workers' compensation or other laws. For example, an employer may
be held liable if a person consumes alcoholic beverages at a company-sponsored
party and subsequently causes a crash. Some employers have been held
liable because negligent acts by employees under the influence of
alcohol consumed at employer-sponsored events were found to be within
the scope of their employment. In other cases, individuals have been
held liable merely because they provided alcohol to social guests.
The only sure way for employers to avoid potential liability for
alcohol-related crashes is to not make alcohol available. Moreover,
employers should let employees know they are not to bring any alcoholic
beverages to an office party.
However, if an employer does decide to provide or allow alcoholic
beverages at an office event, state laws regarding their use and resulting
employer legal responsibilities should be consulted and addressed.
Also, there are several measures employers
can take in attempt to minimize any negative consequences of alcohol
consumption.
This information provided by the US Department of Labor is not intended
to be a substitute for legal advice and should not be regarded as
a guarantee against liability.
Back to Special Issues: Impaired Driving
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