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How to Behave at Your Office Holiday Party

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Holidays  |  How Tos

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  • How To Behave At The Office Christmas Party

    This video offers tips and suggests for how to behave in a Christmas party setting. Follow these simple and somewhat obvious steps and you're much more likely to have a great time!
    How To Behave At The Office Christmas Party

  • Introduction

    • The office holiday party can be loaded with temptation at a time of year when you feel overextended, exhausted, and dying to let loose. Letting loose, however, could make for an embarrassing morning-after, and it could even cost you your job. A whopping 92% of bosses remember office party blunders. Following the tips on this page will help you have a great time at your party without having to dread showing up at the office the next day.

  • Step 1: Come Up with a Game Plan -- And Stick To It

    • Creating a few office party rules for yourself will keep you in check this season...and employed through the New Year.
    1. Plan to arrive on time. The office party is not for the fashionably late.
      • "For people who feel shy about meeting strangers, getting there while the crowd is small is much easier to manage than entering a room full of 200 partiers already having a good time," says Thom Singer, author of The ABCs of Networking.
    2. Decide ahead of time how much to drink. You know your limits; you should have one drink fewer than you think you can tolerate.
    3. If you're driving, it's best not to drink at all.
    4. Prepare a snack before arriving at the party so you don't remain anchored to the food table, and you can concentrate on conversation.
    5. Avoid any Career Limiting Moves, or CLMs. CLMs include Xeroxing body parts, getting tanked with co-workers and making jokes about the boss to his/her spouse.

  • Step 2: Dress Appropriately

    • What you wear can leave a lasting impression.
    1. Keep it age-appropriate. Anything short, tight or revealing should stay in the closet.
    2. Don't opt for anything too informal; remember, this is still a business function.
    3. Consider your field of work and the daily dress code. Then, don't stray too far from the norm.
    4. Remember it's also a holiday party. You don't want to dress for the workday. Adding a couple of festive touches, like a special tie or scarf, will show your enthusiasm for the event.
    5. Don't reveal too much skin, and don't wear anything that will prevent you from dancing comfortably. The right jacket or a pair of opaque tights can make a huge difference.
    6. As with most other advice regarding your office party, moderation is key: a little sparkle goes a long way.

  • Step 3: Network Network Network

    • While holiday parties have their perils, they also provide unique opportunities to introduce yourself to higher-ups and build your network.
    1. Introduce yourself to people in your office you don't know.
      • "If you wait for someone else to start talking, you might be waiting all day," says Andrea Nierenberg, who wrote Million Dollar Networking.
    2. Don't keep anyone engaged in conversation for too long. You'll want to circulate the party, and your colleagues will, as well.
    3. Don't spend all night talking to people you know well already.
    4. While some work discussion is to be expected, try to steer conversation toward new topics. Making a personal connection helps to develop relationships. Ask co-workers about recent films they've seen, their interests, where they might be traveling over the holidays.
    5. If your office has invited clients or other people you work with occasionally, be sure to exchange business cards so you can stay in touch.
    6. To extricate yourself from conversation, a line like, "I should let you talk to everyone else here," should work.

  • Step 4: Avoid Social Pitfalls

    Just because it's the holidays and there's an open bar does not mean you can disregard social rules.

  • Resist Peer Pressure

    1. If co-workers are pressuring you to drink more than you feel comfortable with, stay firm. They may be willing to make fools of themselves, but you don't need to join them.
    2. Don't be the last one to leave, and don't move the party elsewhere with a group of co-workers. Arriving early means you also get to leave early—and face everyone in the office the next morning without embarrassment.

  • Be Discreet

    1. Don't gossip. It's not worth being overheard, and you'll be wasting precious time you could be using to network.
    2. Mind your manners. The office party necessitates proper etiquette, so put napkins in laps. And don't forget to thank your hosts.
    3. Avoid making sarcastic comments in the food line, or anywhere else for that matter. That person in front of you could be related to your boss, and he might not think your witticisms about company policies are very funny.
    4. No off-color jokes. No long-winded jokes. For that matter, no jokes that aren't funny.

  • Romance: Proceed with Caution

    1. The office holiday party is not the proper venue for a romantic liaison.
    2. Sticking to your one-fewer-than-you-can-tolerate drinking plan should quell excessive flirting.
    3. If you truly fancy a co-worker, and you have determined that:
        • (a) your workplace would not frown upon inter-office dating,
        • (b) your co-worker is unattached, and
        • (c) you have not had too much to drink,
      • this might be the time to introduce yourself if you haven't done so already, get to know this person a little better, and ask him or her to get together outside the office sometime.
    4. You might also find yourself in the awkward position of receiving unwanted advances from a co-worker, most likely from someone who has refused to heed the one-fewer-than-you-think-you-can-tolerate rule. Try to remain calm and politely excuse yourself. You will have to see this person at work, so it's best to ignore bad behavior unless it has crossed the line.
    5. If behavior does cross the line, you may wish to report it. Review your company's sexual harassment policies beforehand so you are well prepared.

  • Step 5: Follow Up

    • Be sure to follow up with people you would like to speak with more extensively after the holidays.
    1. Wait until after the New Year to write an email or note suggesting a meeting with a superior or colleague.
    2. Remind him or her how much you enjoyed your conversation at the party and that you'd like to discuss a particular idea in greater detail.
    3. Use what you learned at the party to create a connection. If your boss mentioned a trip to Italy, and you've recently returned from a vacation there yourself, send a few restaurant recommendations to keep the relationship alive.
    4. Remember that networking takes time. Simply making an introduction is a big first step. You might wish to contact people you spoke with at the party to say you enjoyed meeting them, but then wait a while before asking for any favors.

 


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