Top HR and Company Culture News of the Week – December 9, 2013

This week our focus shifts to holiday parties! What is your company doing to ring in the holiday season/New Year? No matter what you have planned, we've got tips from the experts to help you navigate what can otherwise be a very tricky event. Check out these great resources and let us know what you think.

Suzanne Lucas strikes again with her authoritative guide on "How to Throw a Great Holiday Party -- Cheap!" You'll find some tips you might not expect, like "Move the party to January" and "Forget the party. Give everyone a 'shopping day.'" We think you'll love the rest of her holiday party planning ideas as much as we did. What tips would you add to this list?
 
We all know that holiday parties can get a little rowdy from time to time. It's the end of the year, food and drink are flowing, and employees begin to let their hair down. Frankly, it can be a recipe for disaster. Before you make yourself a little too merry and bright, read this post from Mark Toth on TLNT about "How to Have a Holiday Party Without Anyone Going to Jail!"

Need a little help to make sure your team gets rocking around the Christmas tree at this year's holiday party? There's an app for that. Entrepreneur.com contributor Kim Lachance Shandrow provides an awesome breakdown of some high-tech tools that can help simplify your assignments this December. Take a peek at her post, 3 Apps to Help You Plan a Super-Fun Office Holiday Party.

Have something to add? We'd love to hear it.