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ARTICLE · 29 DECEMBER 2016

Office Parties Gone Bad And Other Musings

Gowling WLG
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Many employers are surprised to learn that an injury at an office party can trigger occupational health and safety liability.

CanadaEmployment and HR
P.A. Neena Gupta
P.A. Neena Gupta
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When I started law school more than 30 years ago, our professors promised to teach us to think like lawyers. What they didn’t tell us is that once we learned to think like lawyers, we wouldn’t be able to turn off our “lawyer brains” — even when watching movies, such as the recently released Office Christmas Party.

Featuring excessive drinking, sexual activity and a total disregard for commonsense health and safety rules, the movie about an office party gone disastrously awry got me thinking about the legal liabilities and insurance risks all employers face at their holiday parties. With the season already in full swing and in the spirit of giving back, I outline below some very un-cinematic legal pitfalls both employers and employees should take to heart.

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