Holiday and Christmas Party Tips

 

TOEING THE PARTY LINE

When it comes to office festivities, there

are lines you don't want to cross

By Caitlin Crawshaw, Edmonton Journal, Dec. 16, 2006

As a banquet server in an upscale Edmonton hotel, Ceara, 19, has seen her fair share of office Christmas parties. And man, has she got stories. Companies try to keep the sauce to a minimum, but office parties can be well lubricated events.

 

Unflattering stories

The college student has seen unflattering behaviour from employees of all description

- women speaking (too) candidly about relationship problems, inebriated staffers who won't leave; people puking in the bathroom sink; and greedy partygoers shoving hors d'oeuvres by the sixes into their purses. ("People come at you with octopus arms, coming at you from all angles," Ceara says.)

 

Most office parties have cash bars, to limit how much staffers will drink, but there's always someone trying to cut corners.

 

BYOB

Ceara has had bottles of wine filched from her side stand. "You get your wine, go somewhere and come back, at least three bottles out of eight or nine are missing."

Even worse are the partiers who bring in their own booze. "One time, under one table of young people, we found three mickeys of hard alcohol," says Ceara. "The 'sneak-pour' as we call it in the biz. And it's so illegal."

 

Many avoid the office party

Many younger employees steer clear of the holiday party, saying it's too hard to bridge generational gaps with co-workers who are often 15 to 20 years older. "I feel like I’m sitting at the kids' table at a family dinner," says Drew Carmichael, a 26-year-old application developer at a Toronto dot -corn firm.

Make an appearance

That's the wrong attitude. Business etiquette experts say it's important to make an appearance - even if it's a short one.

"When you bring people together to play, it builds a different kind of team," says workplace consultant Linda Maul, of Creating People Power. ''It just allows people to know each other differently, and possibly they'll work together better."

Companies are looking for ways to recognize employees for a job well done during the year, as well as boost morale and camaraderie, she says. The Christmas party does all that - plus it's tax deductible.

Important to your career

 Joanne Blake and Terry Pithers, of Edmonton's Style for Success, say you want to send the message that you support the organization and are a team player.

It's also the chance to network with people you haven't had the chance to get to know, says Pithers. "It's extremely important to do that early on in your career."

 

Still business

 Of course, you don't want to blow up your career in the process.

To that end, Blake advises prudent partying. "It still is business," she stresses. "Sometimes the word 'party' makes people fee1like they can let their guard down."

In recent years, companies are taking proactive approaches to ensuring a safe and successful party, including offering cab and hotel vouchers and opting for cash bars. Take the cue, arid enjoy in moderation.

 

Find out what the trend has been in terms of dress code, and aim to fit in with the top 25 per cent. Women should steer clear of provocative evening wear.

Drinking in moderation is perfectly acceptable, but do eat something beforehand, says Pithers - and don't forget that alcohol has a nasty tendency to loosen lips.

 

Conversation cues

At the party, make an effort to include spouses and partners, and avoid talking about work. Younger employees can bridge generation gaps by asking colleagues about their hobbies, or even their career history.

The key is to remember that everyone has their own world outside of work, Blake suggests. "I think if you express an interest in others, they'll be more interested in learning about you."

 

Avoiding faux pas

Plan to leave before the end of the party. "If you stay to the end, you have more to

drink, and that's where things can occur," Pithers says. It's also a smart way to avoid uncomfortable encounters with co-workers who've been drinking, he adds.

 

For most of us, a combination of nerves and alcohol means mistakes will happen.

If you've slipped up on your yuletide manners, take the slighted individual aside after the party and apologize.

If it's something truly horrible, Pithers suggests leaving it alone entirely. "I think it's better to hope it'll be water under the bridge, that it'll be forgotten with the passage of time."

 

Stuff of legend

And if your error is the stuff of office legend, maybe start looking for another job.

As Maul says, no one ever improved their careers by behaving properly at the staff party. But, "it can destroy your career if you don't behave well."

 

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