Secret Santa

Dec 18, 2009 In recent years the process of “Secret Santa”, where colleagues exchange gifts anonymously, has become a Christmas tradition in offices across Britain. But buying the wrong gift could land you, and your company, in some serious bother.

Tongue-in-cheek presents, such as giving a bottle of hair dye to an ageing colleague, could lead to legal proceedings if the joke is taken the wrong way.

Even gifts that seem innocuous to the donator could be classed as inappropriate; for example, a bottle of wine could cause offence to a co-worker who does not drink alcohol for religious reasons.

Last year, a policeman in Luton was forced to resign after giving a Muslim colleague a packet of bacon and a bottle of wine as a Secret Santa gift. While the colleague in question did not complain personally, the incident was referred to the PC’s senior officers, which led to his resignation.

One way you could prevent a similar scenario occurring at your business is by investing in an employment law implementation service from a company like Citation.

Citation protects over 6000 businesses across the UK, providing a Queen’s Award-winning Employment Law service that is both practical and legally accurate. One of their qualified experts will work with you to help reduce your business’s exposure to unwanted legal disputes.

Should an employment tribunal be brought against you by an employee, Citation’s unique Advice Guarantee means that their dedicated employment tribunal team will take complete control of the cause on your behalf. This includes representation at the tribunal itself, as well as handling any representation costs, compensation awards, or other financial settlements as agreed by the Citation team on your behalf.

Citation clients also have access to a 24/7 Employment Advice line, and an online business tool that allows businesses to record vital data about their employees, such as holiday entitlements, sickness absences, company cars issued, etc.

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