Christmas decorations are going up in the office. The staff party is on everyone’s calendar, in anticipation of revelry and revelations. It offers an evening to let your hair down and end the year on a high.
But with myriad cultural sensitivities and MeToo hysteria, has the Christmas party become a minefield of perceived offence or harassment, and potential disciplinary action?
Cultural diversity is regarded as a plus in the workplace, but a natural tendency for people to work together harmoniously has been stifled by institutional policy and ‘values.’
My friend Sheila (not her real name) began working for a government agency ten years ago, in a featureless block in a humdrum overgrown market town in the East Midlands. For family reasons she upped sticks, having secured a transfer to the agency’s offices on the outskirts of London.