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On the JJ Barnes Blog, I look at advice from Sue Andrews at KIS Finance about how to cope with the office Christmas party without putting your job at risk!
Office Christmas Party
The office Christmas party is an annual tradition that many people look forward to. However, if you wake up the next day with the realisation that you may have put your livelihood in jeopardy, it’s not a great start to the Christmas season!
Whether it’s drinking too much or making telling work colleagues what you really think of them, it’s all too easy to turn a fun night out into career suicide. If you’ve got social anxiety like me and you’re prone to turning to a glass of wine to steady your nerves before babbling incessantly because you don’t know how to shut up, it’s even more of a danger!
So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the advice from Sue Andrews, HR expert at KIS Finance about the best ways to enjoy your office Christmas party without putting your job at risk.
“Office parties fall between a casual and professional place that can be hard to navigate,” said Sue. “Everyone wants to enjoy a party, so if you follow a few simple guidelines, you can do this without running into problems and regrets.”
If you stick to these easy tips you can enjoy the party without any fear that you will wake up the next day without a job!
Don’t Get Drunk
Remember to pace yourself! The office party is still a professional environment, so drinking too much and losing your inhibitions is never a good idea. Too many drinks could easily cause you to say or do something that you might later regret. Whether it’s sharing too much personal information or repeating something confidential, you could really land in professional trouble and cause lasting damage to your reputation. You don’t want to come to your boss’s attention for the wrong reasons.
When you’ve had too much to drink you may forget your audience and end up embarrassing yourself by telling inappropriate jokes, particularly if you tell it to your boss. Or, at the other end of the socially destructie spectrum, disagreements that have simmered during the year can bubble over when those involved have had a few too many drinks. You may find that you react out of character when your inhibitions are lowered, and it’s not unknown for arguments to erupt.
If you supervise other staff you may also want to keep a clear head as it’s a bit difficult to retain your team’s respect if they have seen you staggering around at the party the night before!
Don’t Flirt With Colleagues
Even if your feelings are reciprocated, the office party isn’t the time to share them as it’s likely to lead to embarrassment for you both. If the other person doesn’t feel the same way, they could find the situation quite stressful and intimidating, and this could lead to serious consequences. You could make that person feel uncomfortable or unsafe at work, which could mean you find yourself facing a claim of harassment and a trip to the HR department the next day.
Follow The Dress Code
When you’re getting ready for the party, make sure to take account of the location of the party, and the type of culture at your company. If the event is a formal sit-down meal, turning up in a clubbing outfit will look really inappropriate.
Whilst it is important to be yourself, you also don’t want to look out of place or be remembered for the wrong reasons. If in doubt, speak to colleagues and get an idea of the type of outfits that others are wearing.
Don’t Talk Shop
Don’t be the work bore that everyone wants to avoid. Take the time to get to know your colleagues better on a human level by talking to them about their interests or holiday plans, but definitely avoid office gossip. It’s never a good idea to be found gossiping about colleagues, as it’s sure to backfire on you, plus you never know who is listening.
Mix With Others Outside Of Your Immediate Work Team
Treat the party as a good opportunity to widen your network and strengthen working relationships with colleagues by getting to know them better as individuals. You may find that you make some useful connections with people that you might otherwise not have had the opportunity to meet and get to know a little better.
Be Careful About Uploading Images To Social Media
Some companies ban the use of social media at work events to protect staff from embarrassing incidents. Whilst it may seem fun to film your drunken colleague on the dancefloor, if you make it public, as well as it being cruel to embarass them, you could find yourself in trouble for causing bad publicity for the company.
Spending all evening on your phone will be seen as bad manners anyway, so put your phone away for the evening and enjoy being present.
Don’t Leave Early
Unless you have a genuine reason, such as the babysitter only being available until 9.30, it’s polite to stay for the majority of the evening. Don’t think that putting in a short guest appearance will go unnoticed, and you risk looking ungrateful or that you think you have better things to do. Either way it won’t look good to your boss.
Not Showing Up
If you have said you’ll attend then its bad manners to bail on the night. You’ll look like you’re not a team player and don’t appreciate that the company has put the effort and money into arranging the party. Even if you don’t think they’ll notice, Managers will usually notice who didn’t attend.
Say Thank You At The End Of The Night
A simple thank you at the end of the night will be greatly appreciated. It takes time and effort, not to say money, to arrange a Christmas party so it’s worth a quick acknowledgement to your boss to show that you recognise this and, if you are part of a large team, it’s a good opportunity for you to remind them who you are.
About KIS Finance:
KIS Finance are an independent finance broker specialising in bridging finance, development finance, commercial mortgages, equity release, and secured loans. Their team of advisors have considerable experience across multiple different areas of the finance sector, as well as insurance and compliance.
Full report: https://www.kisbridgingloans.co.uk/business-guides/how-to-av…
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