Employers host holiday parties for a variety of reasons and, sometimes, for no reason at all.  The holidays are a time of increased stress, though, as well as cheer and merriment.  Combine stressed employees, alcohol, and an event hosted outside of the office, and, wouldn’t you know it, a whole string of liabilities seem to pop up.  Employers and employees alike can access a tremendous amount of resources without ever leaving the office. 

Here are some posts from the blogosphere to get you started:

• Holiday Office Party Do’s and Don’ts at HR News & Views Blog (originally posted at www.quintcareers.com)
• The Office Holiday Party In This Economy at the Job Bored talks about unusual reasons that you should attend your company’s holiday function this year.
• Monster.com talks about the shift away from holiday parties towards charitable giving this year in Are Office Holiday Parties Appropriate in a Recession?
• About.com’s F. John Reh advises readers How to Survive The Annual Holiday Party and, for the overachievers in the group, How You Can Really Shine At The Office Holiday Party.
• The California Employer’s Association gives sobering advice on what can happen if things aren’t all merry and bright at the corporate get-together in Professionalism and the Holiday Party.
• The Labor Law Center’s post, Employers Limit Liability at Holiday Parties, gives us some very serious (and somewhat extreme) examples of what can go really, really wrong at a company-sponsored party.
• George’s Employment Blawg maintains that the outlook isn’t as grim as we may think, at least not for small businesses in,  Despite Economy, Small Businesses Plan Holiday Parties.
• Connecticut Employment Law Blog and Pennsylvania Labor & Employment Blog each have posts on how to manage this year’s corporate holiday festivities written from the legal perspective in Holiday Office Parties: What Issues Should an Employer Be Considering? and  Managing the Holiday Cheer at this Year’s Office Party.
• The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Working Partners provides tips for how to help to ensure a safe and sober workplace party.