The Christmas season is here. Many non-Christians participate in the commercial aspects of Christmas. Some non-Christians are offended by its religious foundations and any reference to Christmas in the workplace, at school or in the stores. Many employees have no strong opinion.
So should an employer have a Christmas party for staff, or call it a "holiday" party, or just call the whole thing off? What about a Christmas bonus? A Christmas Club payroll savings plan? Days off at Christmas?
There is no one answer to the "should" question. The law prevents coercion, discrimination and harassment based on religious beliefs. There is no law that prevents employers from having Christmas-themed events or programs. Still, many employers have chosen to "offend no one" by removing references to Christmas from lobbies, company policies and events.
Others have decided Christmas is an important part of the nation's traditions and that most employees enjoy celebrating the commercial and religious aspects. It could be a message that customers appreciate or even expect.
I am using this hot-button issue to illustrate the wide variety of choices each workplace must make. Workplace culture decisions should be made purposefully with an end in mind. Where the law gives you leeway, use your own judgment, organizational values and vision of what you want it to be like to work where you are right now.
Do you want to send the signal that "we trust our employees," but then require excessive documentation of every minute away from the job? Do you want to be "family friendly," but tightly define how personal time can be used for family needs? Do you let the few cheaters on staff force you to define the rules for everyone else? Do you let a few employees keep you from celebrating a holiday that best suits your company and its culture?
There is no single answer. We see a wide variety of cultural choices, from free wine and beer at work to no set work hours, to rigid reporting requirements and punitive rules, to raucous social events and day trips, to extreme methods for fostering collaboration, and so on. There is no one right way, but the way chosen should be yours, not a copy of others' or just a default.
HR professionals and attorneys sometimes make the mistake of letting "best practices" and the potential risks outweigh the benefits of a purposeful culture. Managers sometimes throw together a culture from a checklist of cool behaviors or restrictive, conservative options. This will not create a purposeful culture.
Whether you have a Christmas party, holiday party or none of the above is less important than whether you have carefully considered the right company culture for the right reasons and worked hard to make your choices fit together. It is a powerful thing when whom you hire, how you work and what you are as an organization weave together in concert to meet your business objectives.
Bruce Clarke, J.D., is president and CEO of CAI Inc., a human resource management firm with locations in Raleigh and Greensboro. CAI helps organizations maximize employee engagement while minimizing employer liability.
