Harassment at Office Christmas Party

A female employee has complained that a drunken male colleague made sexual advances towards her at the Office Christmas Party. How do I handle it?


Amanda Magee writes:


It is important for both employers and their staff to remember that the normal rules of the workplace apply to office parties, even when the party is out of office hours and takes place in a hired venue. Whilst it is generally true that what employees get up to outside work is their own affair and often nothing to do with their employer, employers may be held vicariously liable for incidents that take place at work-related social events if they are considered to be ‘in the course of employment’.

The female employee’s grievance