‘Tis the season for office holiday festivities. Here’s how to keep it professional. Plus: Provide attendees with a safe space to encourage learning.

Slap on your Santa costume and get your dreidel on: It’s the most wonderful time of the year! But when it comes to planning your office celebrations, you might want to avoid the wilder holiday festivities—legally speaking, that is.

That, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Making a List and Checking It Twice

RT @johnsumser Employer’s Guide to the Holidays http://t.co/H5KB1nI0Cd #astd #shrm #asae

— Note to Self Life (@notetoselflife) December 2, 2013

Happy Thanksgivinkuhmas: Employment lawyer Heather Bussing doesn’t suggest that you should go all Grinch on your employees. But, as she writes on HRExaminer, there is a “legal and practical” line that should be drawn when it comes to planning your office holiday festivities. For example, the holiday party might be great for morale, but scrapping it ensures you’ll avoid dealing with the sloshed employee or the nightmare scenario of a drunk-driving incident linked to the event. “[C]heck your state laws on social host liability—you could be responsible for drunk employees’ accidents and the people they injure too,” she notes. Consider an alternative, like a catered luncheon or an early treat of a year-end bonus. But Bussing’s tips aren’t a complete damper on the holiday mood: Be sure to extend the Thanksgiving gratitude straight through the New Year, she suggests. “No matter how the financial year went, be sure to acknowledge the effort of the people who worked hard and cared,” she writes. (ht @ceVoke)

Thinking Hardhat

How to create a safe environment for learning at your event #eventprofs #assnchat #mpi #pcma http://t.co/d6kptS61tr

— Adrian Segar (@ASegar) December 2, 2013

Entering the safe zone: It’s not so much about holding your attendees’ hands to welcome them in, but more about fostering a comfortable environment that prompts all who want to contribute to do so, writes conference expert Adrian Segar. Speaking up in a group setting can feel overwhelming. An easy fix: Segar suggests telling participants that every answer is right; or, if you want to keep the mood light, even throwing in some improv activities. (“Everyone making mistakes is simply part of the game,” he explains.) Keep all directions clear and be receptive to participant feedback, Segar writes. As for the attendees who still shy away from pitching in? That’s OK too! Observing might be their own form of engagement. (ht @ASegar)

How do you ensure your conference is a safe learning space? Tell us in the comments.

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