The lockdowns are over and the office Christmas parties are back, with 64% of companies reporting a return to the traditional in-person do. Love ’em or hate ’em, most of us end up attending them, and not without some concerns. After all, shouldn’t work and pleasure be left unmixed?
So with your survival in mind, we’ve put together an essential guide to see you safely through the ordeal, helping you to keep both your head and your job at the same time.
1. Bringing a plus-one could be a minus
If staff have been given the green light to bring a companion, make sure yours is someone you know and trust. The new date you met last week might seem like perfect partner material, but a company function isn’t the time for any nasty surprises. In any case, if you’re planning on a night of bonding with teammates, be careful that having someone in tow doesn’t cramp your style, especially if they’re not of the same mindset.
2. Don’t turn your fashion statement into a question
Sure, it’s a party, but look who’s throwing it. And do you really want to go overboard with the get-up when you’re rubbing shoulders with management? As a sartorial minimum, seasonal is fine; see-through not so.
3. Don’t show your face if you plan to get off it
If there were ever a phrase that spelt certain trouble, it has to be ‘Free unlimited alcohol’. With such a commodity on tap, few can resist the temptation to overindulge, especially as the supplier of the joy juice and the people responsible for your life of toil are one and the same entity (drinking the company dry might be considered payback time by some). The temptation increases when you’re relying on Dutch courage to get you through the evening. The key word here is ‘balance’. You can still let your hair down without letting the side down too; just remember to pace yourself. Eat something beforehand or alternate the booze with water or juice.
4. To get ahead, you need to rub a few shoulders
You might have had plans to cling to your closest co-workers like a limpet, but circulating at a company bash does have its benefits. Getting to know folk you don’t often deal with is what teambuilding is all about, and, at larger companies, there’s the chance to meet new people. You could try looking on the party as a way of networking – who knows what may come of that little natter with your boss by the fairy cakes? Depending on the circumstances, office parties can also be an opportunity to patch things up with those colleagues you’ve clashed with in the past. Once the wine’s flowing and the music’s pumping, it may seem a good time to let bygones be bygones, making the next year of your working life feel a lot less awkward.
5. Don’t talk shop after hours
Sometimes the only thing you have in common with your colleagues is the company campaign you’re all working on, but be careful that the party doesn’t become an extension of the working day. Brainstorming to rap music might seem like an appealing way to work, but others might be happier in party mode.
6. Don’t let your standards clock out
You don’t have to bring out some Christmas edition of yourself to prove to your fellow partygoers that there’s more to you than what they see from nine to five. Nor should you be swayed by the questionable behaviour of anyone around you with the same idea. Find a way of letting your hair down without letting the side down with it. As a rough guide, if your actions on Friday night could embarrass you on Monday morning, it might be better to save them for a different occasion.
7. Choose your Christmas candy wisely
You know those daydreams you have about that charismatic colleague down the corridor? Maybe they should remain as daydreams for now, lest unsavoury propositions start pouring out of you as fast as the alcohol’s pouring in. Unless you’re someone that can hold both your liquor and your tongue, you should probably wait until one of you resigns before pursuing anything you might regret. On the other hand, if you’re the one being pursued, show your pursuer the meaning of boundaries.
8. If you’re gonna take off, you need a flight plan
It might seem a little early in the day to be planning your departure before the party’s started, but giving some thought to when and how you’ll leave might make things easier later on. An exit strategy could include anything from having a lift home arranged to a ready excuse to slip away if things become a bit much.
9. If you have to lie, make it a good ’un
Be polite. That may sound like the kind of advice that parents dole out to their kids, but the odd thank-you never goes amiss. So if the party’s organisers and financers are there, find a moment to approach and acknowledge their efforts in laying the celebration on, even if you dearly wish they hadn’t bothered. You never know, your thoughtfulness might leave an impression that could see you rewarded in the future.
10. Post it at your peril
These days, we rarely have an experience without snapping it, filming it, tweeting it and posting about it for the amusement of the wider world. Some of the things that occur at once-in-a-blue-moon events may seem too Instagrammable to miss, but if that compromising shot of your half-cut boss finds its way onto social media, you could soon be scouring the job boards.
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