Link To Guest Website: Marc Z Legal

Title: “The Do’s & Don’ts of Holiday Parties”
Guest: Marc Zwetchkenbaum of Marc Z Legal Staffing
Interviewer: Jeffrey Davis – MAGE LLC

Click here to read the transcript

Jeffrey (0s):
Hello everybody. And welcome back to some of our finals shows of 2021 Radio Entrepreneurs, constantly streaming stories of entrepreneurship and leadership in this very dynamic economy. And as we like to do every week, I get to speak with our great friend and reporter Marc Z from Marc Z legal staffing, our personnel report. Welcome back, Marc.

Marc (24s):
Great to be here and happy holidays to you and your family.

Jeffrey (26s):
Thank you very much, mark. All the best of health what’s on the docket for the day.

Marc (34s):
Well, Jeff, speaking of holidays, I thought we talk about the holiday parties around this time of year and pitfalls for employers, employees. And you may say, like we talk about with COVID maybe it’s not the best idea to go to a party, but a lot of the parties that traditionally happened are not happening anymore. So because of super spreader events and everything, but we’re still seeing remote events and people think, well, how much trouble can happen with remote events or what issues with remote events.

Marc (1m 14s):
And that’s what I want to talk about to employers and employees. So on the employers side, they should be careful because you want to have an event or something to acknowledge the holidays, but the respectful to what the situation is right now, we have a new variant out there. They’re still trying to figure out in Europe, it’s, it’s being challenged every day. It’s moved up. And so what a lot of employers want to do is acknowledge. So what they’re doing is like last year, they’re doing virtual events, but what’s happening is with the virtual remote events.

Marc (1m 54s):
Our employees are sort of tired of same old, same old from last year. So my first advice is if you’re going to have an event to acknowledge the holidays, do something that’s more interactive. I’m hearing from the field from employees whose employers are doing things that they’re, they’re looking at each other all the time. People don’t know what to say. Like employers are sending them gift cards for a luncheon or a gift cards for dinner. And then everybody’s sitting, looking at each other. Some people don’t talk to each other that you know, that period of time or do things over a period of time. So they’re, they’re not, they’re, they’re not engaging.

Marc (2m 36s):
So what my recommendation is, is find like, for example, find an event that could be fun. So for example, some organizations are doing wine tasting. They’re sending, they’re sending wine to somebody’s home and they’re then having an expert wine person in the comforts of people’s home, go over the where the wine came from, the history of the wine everybody’s samples, the wine at the same time. They’re also, and they’re doing it in a short period of max an hour. And then it’s done people ask questions. People are interactive, they can have conversations.

Marc (3m 15s):
Another, another company did recently a comedian and it’s again, it was, it was a little bit of the office get together and talking. And then for 15 minutes, the comedian had a certain rapport about her, where she actually got a chance to know the people and incorporated a song that was very, very witty and funny.

Jeffrey (3m 39s):
And we want to, that you could still do secret Santa tell people they can’t open the gift, have everybody send out their gifts and then get on a zoom. And each person has to open it as they all talk to each other and show their gifts.

Marc (3m 52s):
That’s that’s a great idea. That’s a great idea. The secret Santa, it’s a perfect idea. They can talk about it and they’re they’re they’re interchanging. And the last thing, what, what, and you have several good companies and organizations that do and individuals that do this are different kinds of trivia. For example, you have Michael Lori who’s, who’s got a company that does that. Y you have David Yaz, who was the editor in chief of, of mass lawyers weekly. And now he does Boston podcasts and he does Zuma Palooza. And those events keep the staff and the people engaged.

Marc (4m 33s):
Some people are on teams. It really has become more and more sophisticated, but engaged people. So that’s on the employer side, Jeff, on the employees side, I want to give advice that I’ve given every year, as you know, and continue, even though we’re remote, please do not drink too much because a lot of employees, temporary employees or full-time employees are coming to zooms because the employers want to include them or with employees, they want to be participating. But remember, it’s still a company event. So even though we’re doing a wine tasting don’t over-drink or don’t pregame come to the event drunk, and that’s what’s happening in certain places, and it’s upsetting to employers and other colleagues and employees.

Marc (5m 29s):
So you have to be aware that you are being watched. This is a company event. And even though you’re not onsite, even though you’re in the company, your company of your own home, you still have a certain conduct level you have to be at and you can be judged. So you may not be at a live event, which we’ve talked about in the past. Be very careful if you’re being considered, you’re included, you’re coming to the event, but even in a remote event, it’s really challenging to people. Sometimes when they say, okay, I’ve got all this met at home and I’ve got all these bottles of wine, but you’re not in a social event.

Marc (6m 14s):
It’s an office business social event.

Jeffrey (6m 16s):
Well, I know that, you know, my rule has always been much stricter than that. And that is that I save all drinking for social events and anything that’s business-related is never a place to drink for me because you just don’t know. And I say this to people who work with me, I say it to clients because that’s when you let your guard down and you say something you regret, and it’s really not a social event. It’s a business professional network event, always a Marc, I think it’s well, it’s good timing that you brought up this subject. I think people are trying to figure out what to do. If someone’s looking for the fabulous Marc Z, how would they find you?

Marc (6m 53s):
Well, first of all, Jeff, just Google, Marc Z MIRC and the letter Z. And we’ll come right up or Mark’s going to Marc Z legal.com, M a R C Z leg, a l.com and 6 1 7 3 3 8 1 300.

Jeffrey (7m 9s):
And nobody works like Marc Z, Saturday morning heard about a problem called a Marc Z Saturday morning spoke to him twice and we were both onto it. He’s there’s nobody like him. I was a personnel problem. Someone called me with an Marc Z was right on it. So, I mean, that’s, what’s really good about you, mark.

Marc (7m 28s):
Thank you, Jeff. I appreciate it. Back at you in terms of you and your business. That’s why, that’s why you’re very successful at what you did.

Jeffrey (7m 37s):
So again, all the best of health and happiness to you and your family, and we’ll be back this year, hopefully, but next year, for sure, with the fabulous Marc Z.

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