Don't get exposed at the office party - a timely warning

The other week I was flicking through the News of the World, as you do, and was mildly amused by a two page piece focused on the [alleged] sordid antics of a handful of employees of the UK banking group HBOS.

I didn't think about it much at the time, but more damning coverage followed this week which prompted me to ponder for a moment the impact such titillating articles have on employees - and corporate communicators.

I was a HBOS employee once and, as head of comms for one of its operating brands in the late 1990s, I imagine I'd have lost sleep over such damaging column inches featuring my colleagues behaving badly. Reading these rather graphic articles, I had to sympathise for my old pals. For the majority of well behaved, loyal, upstanding employees this sort of coverage is really embarrassing and does little to boost morale during these already worrying times.

Banks are clearly fair game as far as the tabloid press goes in these credit-crunch days, but what this coverage shows once again is the blurring line between internal and external comms - and the fact that, on or off company time, your employees can be either your best ally or your worst enemy.

In internal comms we talk a lot about encouraging employees to 'live the values' and become advocates for the business/brand, yet we often fail to consider the damage that can be caused during party time. And I've been to enough of these bashes to know what goes on.

We're all entitled to let our hair down occasionally, but that doesn't have to place the organisation's hard-earned reputation at risk. Employees need to be reminded that they represent the organisation and their behaviour at work-related events matters. People are watching. Those who step way over the line need to be dealt with firmly - turn a blind eye and you're effectively endorsing bad behaviour.

And remember, not only do we have the traditional tabloid press to consider, but advances in technology mean that photos, video and audio could turn up on the ether in a matter of minutes. Remember these fun-loving Somerfield employees?

In view of plummeting budgets I'm not sure how many organisations will be staging alcohol-fuelled festive bashes this year, but if yours is just make sure your people don't end up exposed in all their glory.

Lee Smith on Nov 27 2008

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