Holiday Party Harassment Concerns Making This Season Less Merry

The current explosion of sexual harassment accusations will make the always-difficult holiday party season even worse this year for employers, attorneys and consultants warn.

Unacceptable behavior may not be any worse at this year’s office holiday parties than it was in the past, but HR departments should brace themselves for a bigger wave of complaints than usual following high-profile accusations against a host of men in the worlds of media, entertainment, and politics.

There was a surge in sexual harassment claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the six months after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s confirmation ...