While a little holiday cheer and a celebratory toast may be expected this time of year, the Dallas office of national employer-side labor and employment law firm Fisher & Phillips warns that employers should beware of the potential for liabilities at office holiday events, as complaints stemming from often-excessive alcohol consumption are all too common. In fact, 87 percent of holiday party-goers report witnessing fellow attendees under the influence of and exhibiting inappropriate behavior, according to a survey released this month by Caron Treatment Centers, a nationally-recognized substance abuse treatment center.  According to the survey, the top three troublesome behaviors ranked as follows: arguing with others, using excessive profanity and overly flirtatious words and conduct.

“Alcohol obviously lowers inhibitions and impairs judgment, resulting in employees saying and doing things they ordinarily wouldn’t,” said Michael V. Abcarian, managing partner in the Dallas office of Fisher & Phillips. “Such unpredictable behavior in today’s litigious work environment can leave employers open to frustrating and expansive harassment claims.”

In addition to harassment issues, Abcarian warns that companies may be liable if an employee leaves an office holiday party in an intoxicated condition and is thereafter involved in an accident. Pricey workers’ compensation claims can also result if an employee under the influence slips and falls, or otherwise gets injured.

If employers decide that their event just won’t be the same without the spiced eggnog, Abcarian recommends making sure rules and procedures are in place to keep the holiday office party out of court.

• Always serve food if alcohol is offered and be sure to have plenty of non-alcoholic beverages on hand.
• Avoid an “open bar” where employees can drink as much as they want. Consider using a drink-ticket system or a cash bar.
• Do not serve alcoholic punch or other beverages that make it difficult to gauge how much alcohol one person consumes.
• Hire professional bartenders and instruct them to discreetly let you know if they feel someone has had too much to drink.
• Schedule parties on a weeknight when employees may be less likely to overindulge.
• Arrange for designated drivers, reduced cab fares or a no-cost taxi service if employees are obviously impaired by alcohol.

In addition to these tips, Fisher & Phillips advises employers review insurance policies for alcohol-related exclusions and make sure supervisors are up-to-date on policies dealing with harassment.

“Without sounding like a Scrooge, it’s important to put guidelines in place to avoid creating an opportunity where too much holiday cheer leads to a costly holiday lawsuit,” said Abcarian.

Employers should take precautions to avoid getting spooked when office parties brew trouble. Even though workplace celebrations can have benefits, they can also conjure up more harm than good for human resource executives and in-house counsel.

Without a plan, Halloween office parties could potentially result in claims of harassment and discrimination, as well as a loss in productivity. In fact, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s 2013 performance report, harassment and discrimination cost American companies $372.1 million last year.

“In today’s litigious workplace, Halloween costumes may pose serious risks to employers, especially if the controversial costume is worn by someone in management,” says Michael V. Abcarian, managing partner of the Dallas office of Fisher & Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm.

Abcarian continues, “The costume you wear out with friends might not be appropriate in the workplace. In the past few years, we have seen an uptick in issues and questions from clients about Halloween costuming.”

Costumes that are sexually provocative, carry a political or social message, or are simply inappropriate for interacting with co-workers and customers, may lead to a liability nightmare for employers.

The proper planning of a Halloween event will lessen such risks. Employers should review the following tips when planning a Halloween office party:

•             Decide if costumes are appropriate for the workplace.

•             Clearly communicate costume guidelines in advance.

•             Remind employees they are still at work, despite the holiday overtone.

•             Don't overreact, but be sensitive to the issues.

•             Consider any feedback the company received from employees or customers concerning last year's

               Halloween party or employee costumes.

•             Offer alternative celebrations.

•             Be prepared to discipline for misconduct, if necessary.

With these thoughts in mind, employers should be able to take the fear out of such festivities.

About Fisher & Phillips LLP (www.laborlawyers.com)

Fisher & Phillips LLP is a national law firm committed to providing practical business solutions for employers’ workplace legal problems. Labor and employment law is all the firm does, offering deep and broad knowledge and experience in the area of the law the attorneys know best. Fisher & Phillips attorneys help clients avoid legal problems, are dedicated to providing exceptional client service, and are there when you need them. The firm has 300 attorneys in 31 offices. In addition to Dallas, the offices are in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Gulfport, Houston, Irvine, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, New England, New Jersey, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.

SWACHA AND FS-ISAC PARTNER TO HOST SOUTHWEST FINANCIAL CRIMES FORUM IN DALLAS ON OCTOBER 8 TO KICK OFF CYBER-SECURITY AWARENESS MONTH

Seminar to be held at University of Texas at Dallas

October 2014 marks the 11^th Annual Cyber Security Awareness Month. As part of its 2014 efforts to increase awareness of cybercrime, Dallas-based SWACHA, one of the largest not-for-profit electronic payments associations in the country will join with Reston, VA-based Financial Services-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) to host the Southwest Financial Crimes Forum on October 8 at The University of Texas at Dallas. The Forum will feature experts from the United States Secret Service and others in the fields of technology and risk to offer financial institutions the most current mitigation strategies regarding cybercrimes.

“It is important that we provide our members and other financial institutions the greatest opportunity for success in terms of fighting cybercrime,” said Laura Steele, AAP, president and COO of SWACHA. “With the increasing sophistication of cyber threats we feel the best way to help financial institutions combat these types of crimes is through awareness and education. That is why we are pleased to offer financial institutions events such as this Crimes Forum to help them stay informed on the most current risk mitigation techniques.”

SWACHA, an official 2014 Champion of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, started in 2004 to engage and educate public and private sector partners to raise awareness about cybersecurity. Cyber Security Awareness Month is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security in cooperation with the National Cyber Security Alliance and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center.

FS-ISAC is the global financial industry's go to resource for cyber and physical threat intelligence analysis and sharing. FS-ISAC was created by and for members and operates as a member-owned nonprofit entity.

This year’s Southwest Financial Crimes Forum will be held at University of Texas at Dallas Wednesday, October 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

For more information, or to register, please visit www.swacha.org or call 800-465-0585.

2014 Marks the 5^th Consecutive Year Royal has been selected to this Elite Group

Michael P. Royal, a partner with the Dallas office of national labor and employment law firm Fisher & Phillips LLP, has been recognized as one of the 2014 International Who’s Who of Management Labour and Employment Lawyers for the fifth consecutive year. He is one of only 13 attorneys from Texas to make this highly respected list of the world’s leading labor and employment lawyers. The annual list identifies attorneys who have demonstrated a proven track record in representing and advising employers on all aspects of employment law. Nominees for the award are selected by their counterparts -- in-house and private practice attorneys worldwide -- based upon independent surveys and comprehensive interviews.

“I’m honored to receive this recognition,” said Royal. “It is great to know that our firm’s mission to provide exceptional client service to solve labor and employment problems for employers is respected by so many of my peers in this country and beyond.”

Royal is one of the founders of the Fisher & Phillips International Employment Law Practice Group and regularly represents multinational companies in cross-border and international employment law issues and disputes.  Mike is "AV" rated by Martindale-Hubbell, recognizing his adherence to the highest standards of professional competence and ethical conduct.  His work has also gained him recognition in multiple client and peer review listings, such as The Best Lawyers in America (2013 and 2014) (Practice Area - Employment Law/ Management) and BTI’s Client Service All-Star Team (2013).

For more information on the 2014 International Who’s Who of Management Labour and Employment Lawyers list, please visit www.whoswholegal.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                            MEDIA CONTACT

Alexis Daniel

Granado Communications Group

Office: 214-599-8467

Cell: 214-830-1949

alexis@granadopr.com

SWACHA SERVICES CORPORATION AND ARGOS RISK ANNOUNCE A NEW

PARTNERSHIP TO HELP FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS PROACTIVELY MANAGE CREDIT RISK AND PROTECT AGAINST BUSINESS IDENTITY FRAUD

DALLAS, and MINNEAPOLIS, September 15, 2014 – SWACHA Services Corporation (SSC) announced today a partnership with Minneapolis - based Argos Risk to promote online tools that assist financial institutions in mitigating fraud risk through use of reporting tools and risk analytics. Dallas-based SWACHA Services Corporation is a for-profit, wholly owned subsidiary of SWACHA, one of the largest not-for-profit electronic payments associations in the country.

            “Partnering with Argos Risk allows us to offer a superior service to our clients and members that are dedicated to managing credit risk,” said Dennis Simmons, CEO of SWACHA and a Director of SWACHA Services Corporation. “In today’s economy, we believe it is essential that financial institutions take measures in assessing risks associated with any business relationship in order to prevent potential damage to the institution or as customers.”

            Argos Risk offers fully-hosted software solutions that enable financial institutions to proactively manage credit risk and protect against business identity fraud. Argos Risk offers two products for businesses to utilize, Argos Risk Online and Argos Risk Defender.

Argos Risk’s flagship product, Argos Risk Online, launched in 2010 is a credit risk management software solution that allows financial institutions to monitor the financial health of business relationships in real-time. It provides information that enables subscribers to monitor customers, vendor prospects and potential business sectors in order to manage credit risk to determine the safety of the potential relationship.

In comparison, Argos Risk Defender is a business identity monitoring software that monitors critical accounts for subscribers to aid in protecting themselves against fraud. In the instance of a breach, subscribers are assigned a professional certified recovery agent that will help the business restore its finances and reputation to its pre-event status, and will also provide full remediation service for up to 100,000 breached records.

“SWACHA is an Argos Risk customer utilizing their products to manage our vendor management program,” said Laura Steele, AAP, president and COO of SWACHA. “Because of the success we have shown reducing our risks with these products, we are excited that SWACHA Services Corporation has joined forces with Argos Risk to offer them to a broader audience”. 

“Argos Risk is honored to be a partner of SWACHA Services,” said Lori Frank, CEO and president of Argos Risk. “Through our innovative ACH Risk Management technology solutions the financial industry will learn a new way to identify risk and better manage their payments portfolios. It’s all about training and education, and like SWACHA Services, Argos Risk will be an impactful resource.

About SWACHA Services Corporation

SWACHA Services Corporation (SSC) is a for-profit, wholly-owned subsidiary of the SWACHA-The Electronic Payments Resource^®. SSC provides a wide range of professional services to community banks, credit unions and other financial intuitions in the electronic payments industry outside of those traditionally offered through SWACHA membership.  For more information, visit www.swachaservices.com.

About SWACHA

SWACHA-The Electronic Payments Resource^®, is one of the largest not-for-profit regional payments associations in the country with approximately 1,000 members across the Southwest. SWACHA is the resource of choice for financial institutions and corporations in the areas of education, training, payments system risks and knowledge about electronic payments.

For more information visit: 

Web:                www.swacha.org

Facebook:        www.facebook.com/bringingpaymentstogether

Twitter:              @SWACHA

About Argos Risk Argos Risk, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializes in web-based technology solutions for B2B credit risk management. The Company’s flagship solution, Argos Risk Online, is designed to help businesses and financial institutions proactively manage their business risk with actionable online dashboards and 24x7 business alerts. For more information, visit www.argosrisk.com.