Workplace holiday parties can build morale and strengthen workplace relationships – but they also create legal and practical risks for employers. This program examines how employer liability can extend beyond normal work hours and locations, including misconduct occurring at off-site events, after-parties, hotels and gatherings involving vendors or guests.
Employment Law Litigator Laura Feldman will review the legal framework governing workplace social events, including Title VII, parallel state anti-discrimination laws, applicable Gender Violence Acts and common-law theories such as assault, battery and negligent supervision. Participants will also learn why common assumptions about “off-the-clock” conduct and third-party misconduct can create significant exposure.
At the end of this CLE, attorneys will be able to:
* Identify key legal risks associated with employer-sponsored holiday parties
*Recognize when liability may extend to off-site, after-hours, or third-party conduct
*Implement practical pre-event policies and complaint-reporting procedures
*Apply effective alcohol-management and event-safety strategies
*Evaluate post-event investigation, discipline, and after-party concerns
*Address inclusion, insurance, gift-giving, and wage-and-hour issues in holiday-party planning
Laura will provide practical strategies for reducing risk before and during an event, including recirculating workplace policies, maintaining multiple complaint-reporting channels, clarifying manager expectations, managing alcohol service, choosing appropriate entertainment and creating a safe and inclusive environment. Finally, the program addresses post-event responsibilities and additional risk-management considerations, including safe transportation, after-party liability, complaint investigations, discipline, inclusive celebrations, gift-giving, insurance limitations, and wage-and-hour concerns associated with mandatory attendance.
Laura Feldman specializes in investigating and litigating claims of workplace sexual misconduct, gender and pregnancy discrimination, and whistleblowing. At the federal U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she honed a trauma-informed approach to advocacy as a trial attorney on cases involving discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.