While you can debate all you want about whether 1988’s Die Hard is a Christmas movie (it is – don’t fight us on this point), you can’t disagree with the fact that the movie depicts one of the all-time most memorable office holiday parties in cinematic history. A band of thieves posing as terrorists crash the Christmas Eve party on the 30th floor of Los Angeles’ new Nakatomi Plaza to rob millions in negotiable bearer bonds, only to be thwarted by party guest and New York City cop John McClain (played by a very young Bruce Willis). Besides being eminently re-watchable, the movie also provides valuable instruction on how to throw a proper office holiday party.
The folks at the Nakatomi Corporation did some things right – and some things wrong – when it comes to hosting annual holiday festivities. If you learn from their example this year, you’ll enjoy the holidays knowing that your office party won’t lead to any human resources disasters or lawsuits.
“Can I Get You Anything? Food? Cake? Some Watered-Down Champagne?”
Any discussion of office holiday parties has to start with a discussion about alcohol – the cause of many an HR headache. The alcohol was certainly flowing at the Nakatomi party: the moment McClain stepped into the office, a roving bartender offered him a glass of mystery punch. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with having alcohol available at a holiday party, there are some established best practices when you throw adult beverages into the mix.
First, let’s look at two of the things that Nakatomi did that you should emulate.
But there is a long list of things that Nakatomi could have done to handle its liquor better, so to speak. We have no idea if they offered non-alcoholic alternatives to the guests. In fact, manager Holly Gennaro encourages her very-pregnant assistant Ginny to have some champagne, which is one of the more cringe-worthy moments of the movie. They also serve a mystery punch to their guests, which (like spiked eggnog) is never a good idea. If your guests don’t know what they’re drinking or how much alcohol they are consuming, they are more likely to become inebriated. Along those lines, shots are a bad choice nearly 100% of the time.
“Mr. Mystery Guest – Are You Still There?”
Guests at the office holiday party are a mixed bag – our job is to let the good ones in and keep the bad ones out. Nakatomi Corporation made one smart move in this regard: they invited spouses and significant others to attend (well, at least one spouse that we know of).
Employee’s significant others do some of the babysitting for you, as their attendance will reduce the chances of crude and unprofessional behavior among your workforce. People tend to make more scrupulous choices when they are in the presence of loved ones. Likewise, those loved ones are likely to pressure their counterparts to act right.
At the same time, you should do your best to prevent unwanted gatecrashers from attending. It is doubtful that a band of well-armed European safe-crackers will crash your party, but it is possible that your employees’ friends might decide to stop in for the fun if nobody is guarding the door. That can be a recipe for trouble. Nakatomi stationed a building security guard in the lobby to admit known guests. Likewise, you should have someone make sure that the only people who are enjoying your party are invited guests.
“Welcome To The Party, Pal!”
Attendance at your party should be voluntary, not mandatory. After all, you might have some employees whose religious beliefs prevent them from celebrating holidays. Or you might have those in recovery who would prefer not to be in the presence of liquor. Nakatomi violates this rule by holding the party at the office at the end of a workday (Christmas Eve, no less!), so if you do the same, make sure you let your employees know they don’t have to stick around if they don’t want to.
At the same time, don’t be a Scrooge and make your employees work during the party. At the beginning of the movie, the party is already in full swing, and Gennaro’s assistant Ginny is still hard at work finishing up some paperwork while everyone else is having a good time. Besides being a possible wage and hour problem, this approach will surely kill everyone’s holiday vibe. If you want loyal employees with good morale, don’t make them work late and miss the party.