Holiday parties can be a great way for the entire office to celebrate the year’s accomplishments. While parties usually are fun, they are also a potential source of HR violations.
Here’s a look at a three famous holiday-soiree fiascos to hit the big screen and how a proactive HR team could have prevented these movies’ mishaps.
A Christmas Carol
Most of us know the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the wealthy cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas. There are multiple big screen adaptations out there, but let’s stick to the 1970 adaptation starting Alec Guinness. In the film, Scrooge is visited by the three ghosts, the first being the Ghost of Christmas Past. In his vision, we witness Scrooge’s experience attending the Fezziwig Ball. The festivities are fun, even though Scrooge doesn’t quite feel like a natural part of the team due to his philosophy on business. The party leaves Scrooge with a happy memory, but ultimately he never feels like he quite fits in and moves on. When his values don’t align with the organization, he feels left out, which eventually leads to his infamous “bah-humbug” response to the holidays.
How HR can help: Having a successful holiday office party that leaves everyone filled with joy can sometimes be challenging. When throwing a Christmas party, build events based on the very best parts of your company culture in order to avoid leaving some employees feeling left out, heart broken or alone.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
The often forgotten James Bond film starring George Lazenby, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service could be considered the 007 holiday special. A major scene of the 1969 movie takes place at a holiday party where Bond’s archenemy, Blofeld (Telly Savalas), reveals his evil plan to send spies, disguised as models, to infiltrate governments around the globe.
Eventually, Blofeld holds all of the world’s governments hostage with his strategically placed saboteurs, right in the middle of the festive season. Of course Bond saves the (holi)day, but the whole situation could have been prevented, had the various government entities properly vetted their candidates through a quality applicant tracking system, not to mention background checks. This organizational oversight nearly cost the globe peace on earth by allowing the potential for Blofeld’s world domination.
How HR can help: To avoid hiring people who could endanger your holiday parties, your organization’s values and ultimately the productivity of your workforce, ensure you’re using the right recruiting tools to properly vet candidates who can contribute to a safe culture, seasonal celebrations and beyond.
Die Hard
Behind the pulse-pounding action and infinitely quotable one-liners, it’s easy to forget Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his crew of German terrorists invaded Nakatomi Plaza during the Japanese company’s annual Christmas party. But thanks to internet memes and film fans, 1988’s Die Hard has become synonymous with the most wonderful time of the year.
The insidious crew crashed the party by hacking the security system through the reception desk. The same unprotected employee data used for that initial hack later was used to crack the company vault. Fortunately, Bruce Willis’s John McClane was around to keep these thieves from robbing the organization blind.
How HR can help: If you plan to hold a holiday celebration in your building, ensure all of your employee data, including login credentials, are protected and backed up by the very best software and IT security.
The holidays are supposed to be a festive time of year. The parties that accompany them are events that should generate excitement for employers and employees alike. Don’t leave yourself vulnerable to untrained staff, embedded spies or computer hacks. Make sure your organization is prepared by doing the legwork throughout the year and at the finish line. That way, your HR team is left saying, “Now I have a great place to work. Ho-ho-ho!”