Wright Hassall's top tips for the festive season

We are delighted to be the Equestrian Employers Association new exclusive legal sponsors. As part of our sponsorship of the EEA, we will be providing monthly newsletters through the EEA with guidance on a wide array of Employment Law matters.

To start, we've prepared a few top tips to help you prepare for the busy festive period ahead, which we understand can post seasonal challenges to many equine employers.

1. Prep for Christmas parties

• As of October 2024, there is a new duty on employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. E.g. putting in place a policy covering sexual harassment and giving employees appropriate training. For Christmas parties, effective strategies might be reminding employees on appropriate behaviour and restricting the amount and type of alcohol available.
• Make sure the venue for your Christmas party takes into consideration any disabled access requirements your staff may have. And ensure dietary requirements (religious or otherwise) are met.
• Invite all employees to the Christmas party, including those who may be on a period of sickness absence or family-friendly leave at the time. Do not exclude anyone.

2. Consider Christmas working patterns

• Where possible, consider flexible working arrangements to help employees manage their personal and professional commitments during this busy time. There are a number of additional events which employees may wish to attend (such as school plays or Christmas concerts). Allowing variation in working patterns will help make this easier, be greatly appreciated and improve staff morale.
• If you need staff over the festive period, make sure this is clearly outlined in your annual leave policy (and that this is up to date!), as well as how the business determines leave requests to manage expectations, for example, a "first come, first served" approach.
• If you are concerned that absences from employees are not genuine, steps can be taken to investigate, and if needed, disciplinary action can be taken.

3. Cultural differences are crucial

• As with any religious holiday, it is important to bear in mind that not everyone will celebrate this within your workforce. It should be clear in communications regarding festive celebrations that these are not mandatory, and if any member of staff does not wish to attend, their wishes should be accepted.
• When arranging events, it is important to take into consideration the food and beverages being served, as well as locations, and make sure these are inclusive for all.
• You may also wish to consider reviewing your annual leave policy and, if it requires time to be taken off around Christmas, you may want to offer alternatives for those who do not celebrate Christmas and may prefer to take annual leave at a different point of the year.

4. Support staff health and well-being

• The period leading up to Christmas is often busy for many riding yards. Ensure that you check in on your employees to see how you can help them minimise stress and burnout. Signpost them to any benefits they receive as part of their employment that could be helpful (e.g. The Grooms Mind Hub in the British Grooms Association). Simple gestures like this can make employees feel supported.
• Organising relaxing team activities can help foster a more inclusive and effective work environment.

5. Plan ahead for 2025

• Consider what objectives your business may have for the upcoming New Year and plan ahead as to what actions may be required. This can help makes things slightly less hectic when the New Year arrives!
• This may require a bit of housekeeping, such as reviewing and updating your key documentation, including employment contracts and your staff handbook (or, if these are not in place, taking swift action to ensure they are from the New Year).
• For other employers, your focus may be looking to expanding your workforce, which would include making sure your current recruitment process is clear, fair and will attract the best talent for you. You will also want to look at drafting succinct and appealing job descriptions which will entice the right applicants to your available roles.

These are just a few suggestions to help navigate the busy festive period with greater ease. We hope you find them useful, and we are happy to provide further guidance on these or any other Employment law matters.

Wright Hassall are here to assist you with your Employment law and HR queries, providing advice and guidance as required. Here's now to get in touch with the team:

touch with the team, all of which can be found on the EEA website.

• Via our website and enquiry form
• Email: EEAenquiries@wrighthassall.co.uk
• Phone: 01926 732501

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