Around this time of year, when the holiday spirit is in full swing, many companies like to take a moment to celebrate their employees for all of the hard work they put in through the months. These celebrations can be in the form of holiday work parties, secret Santa gift exchanges, and much more. If you are partaking in holiday festivities this year with your workplace, you may not even be thinking about the possibility of suffering from an injury while celebrating. Holiday parties don’t pose many obvious risks to employees, however accidents can still occur and it is important that you understand what to do in the event that you are injured while attending or traveling to a work-related holiday party this season.

One primary way to determine whether or not your injury arising from a workplace holiday party is covered under workers’ compensation depends on if the event was mandatory or not. If your holiday party is a mandatory work activity that your employer has required you to attend, and you suffer from an injury while either traveling to/from the event or while at the holiday party, this would likely be covered under workers’ compensation because it would be considered one of your work responsibilities. If it was a completely optional event, it might be more difficult to argue for workers’ compensation because it is technically not in the realm of your work duties as required by your employer.

Another main factor to consider when determining if you are eligible for worker’s compensation after a workplace holiday party injury is the location of the party. If your holiday event occurs at your office or place of employment, it is very likely that you could file a workers’ compensation claim and receive compensation for your injury. On the other hand, if the event took place off your employers grounds outside of your workplace, you would need to prove that you were either required to be there or it was still in the realm of your workplace responsibilities in order to have a successful argument for workers’ compensation.

Holidays are meant to be full of fun and cheer and hopefully you do not run into a circumstance in which that could be disrupted by a workplace injury. If you do though, it is important to contact a workers’ compensation attorney immediately. As you can see, most cases are not completely straightforward and require the expertise of an attorney to navigate the best way to file a claim in order to win you the compensation you deserve. This holiday season, if you are involved in an accident at a workplace holiday event, contact Poirier Law Firm today. We will make sure to keep your holiday season merry and bright as we help you fight for the rights you deserve.