THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 25, 1995 TAG: 9511250241
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LON WAGNER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
If you work in Hampton Roads, chances are that during the holidays your company will throw a party, or give you a gift or a bonus check.
But not everyone will be cashing in on yuletidings.
Bonuses and parties in recent years have been pared by Scrooge-like economic forces such as downsizings and liability concerns over serving alcohol.
What any company does probably depends a little bit on its tradition, on what kind of year its industry is having and maybe even on how generous its fringe benefits are in other areas.
Parties in Hampton Roads will range from the informal get-togethers for workers at Union Camp in Franklin and at Norfolk Southern in Norfolk, to the companywide shindig Volvo Penta will have on the Spirit of Norfolk.
``We are a marine business, so we're going out on the water,'' said Scott Watkins, spokesman at marine engine manufacturer Volvo Penta of the Americas.
At Union Camp Corp., departments will decide on their own Christmas parties and they'll be ``self-supporting,'' said Joe Stutts, community relations manager.
``In other words, we'll have one at this department and everybody will pitch in 10 bucks or so,'' Stutts said. ``People will bring food and snacks and everybody stands around overeating.''
In a survey of 75 companies in Hampton Roads, the Richmond-based consulting firm William M. Mercer found about 30 percent that give end-of-year bonuses. The bonuses are ``usually pretty small, about $150 or so,'' said Mercer's Laura Clements.
Specific figures on parties are not available for Hampton Roads, but nationally about 80 percent of companies hold parties for their workers, according to a survey of 900 companies by the Society for Human Resource Management in Alexandria.
Parties even vary within larger companies that have numerous branch operations. At Newport News-based Noland Co., for instance, the company returns profits from vending machines at its 99 branches. These ``employee funds'' can be used for a holiday party, for a summer picnic or donated to charity, spokesman John Gullett said. This year, Noland Co. headquarters workers will have a Saturday night, off-premises party; workers in South Hampton Roads will have a lunchtime party.
Fifty-eight percent of the companies in the SHRM survey plan to serve alcohol at their parties, despite increasing concerns over lawsuits.
Burt Whitt, a partner in Norfolk law firm Kaufman & Canoles, said companies serving alcohol at parties have not been found responsible for post-party accidents in Virginia, but he still recommends against serving it.
Whitt, who represents employers, said companies could find themselves in sticky situations for reasons other than employees leaving the party and driving drunk. An employer could be held accountable for workers' compensation if a worker went to the party, drank, then returned to work. Whitt is also concerned about what happens when ``employees are encouraged to be together with loosened inhibitions'' after they've been drinking.
``It just sends the wrong message,'' Whitt said, ``particularly if you have a policy against using drugs and alcohol and then at a company function you serve alcohol.'' by CNB