Christmas Party

[hedgeybaby]

I came across this article today. Hopefully I will be able to follow this to the tee for our do, but knowing the corporate culture where I work, we will all be getting absolutely ....faced.

Don’t dread it; use it!

Fact

85% of the reason for success in business is people skills, leaving only 15% riding on your business degree and years of experience. Using the office holiday party to showcase your people skills could be a better career move than that brilliant business plan you submitted last month.

Go

Although disguised as a social event, the office party is as much part of your job responsibilities as attending any other meeting called by your boss. Make no mistake: this is business, not pleasure. In the absence of a well-established and unavoidable previous engagement, consider attendance as mandatory.

Dress appropriately

This is a business event; keep the business in your choice of what to wear. Dress at the upper end of what you consider business formal. Easier for men who can wear a blue suit and either a conservative or festive tie. Women, keep it smart—not sexy. No cleavage means no gossip behind your back or leering looks at work. Review with your spouse or guest what they will be wearing, also. It will reflect on YOU if your wife wears a revealing dress, or your husband’s idea of dressing up is wearing clean jeans. There is no holiday magic behind the following key social skills that successful people use year ‘round, not just at the office party:

Greet your host

Greet your host when you arrive (by the way, “host” is a gender-neutral term). It is not acceptable to simply head for the bar and buffet and hope to catch up with your host later in the evening. A well-organised party of over 50 guests should include a receiving line making it easy for the host to greet everyone on arrival.

Shake hands

Shake hands and remember that this is the only acceptable touching allowed at a business function. Avoid determined kissers by locking your elbow when shaking hands to enforce the distance. Handshakes are accompanied by direct eye contact (don’t be looking over their shoulder to see who else is there) and often include an introduction.

Introduce yourself and others

When introducing yourself, use your first and last name; never call yourself “Mr. Wales” or “Mrs. Dixon” unless you are introducing yourself to a child. In a business environment, junior (or less important) people are introduced to senior (or more important) people. Don’t delude yourself that there is no ranking simply because it is a party. Introduce people by name, not by their position or relationship to you although you may usually explain the relationship. For example: “Ms Boss, may I introduce Julius Brown, my husband.” (It is up to your boss whether she will ask your husband to call her by her first name.)

Enjoy the hospitality in moderation

Hold your drink in your left hand to ensure that your right hand is free—and dry rather than cold and clammy—to shake hands. This also keeps your right hand free for sampling the finger food as it is passed. Avoid the temptation to juggle a plate of food and a drink while standing. If holding a plate, lose the glass. Serve yourself moderate portions at a buffet—better to return for seconds than to heap your plate high with an unattractive mixture of everything in sight. When alcohol is being served, stay well under your limit. Gentlemen: don’t finish your second drink; ladies: don’t finish your first. Switch to mixers or juice.

Mingle and make polite conversation

Use this opportunity to introduce yourself to senior managers and meet people from other departments. Meet your colleagues’ spouses and partners (gay couples are treated exactly the same), and acknowledge that they have lives and interests of their own—they are not merely appendages to their partners.  Any question that might appear on a government form or mortgage application is to be avoided. Also to be avoided: “shop-talk” and office gossip. Holiday plans, children, common interests, current events are all simple openers that will not offend or embarrass. Best to skip politics and religion.

Thank your host and leave

By the end time stated on the invitation, you should be finding your host to say thank you and taking your leave.

And finally…

If you’ve followed these guidelines, a thank you note to the evening’s host will distinguish you in the workplace as a confident and knowledgeable employee with superlative social skills. And that’s where the 85% factor comes into play.

 

 

http://www.charlesmacpherson.com/about-cma/library/office-party/ 

 

[CrankYanker]

We have a dinner the night before a farm show for our Christmas Party. Last year my boss was yelled at for being to loud by a patron in the restaurant. I'm helping pick out the place for this year's event. 

[GrouchoMarx]

The worst part about christmas parties is the job hunting the next day.

[Buck14]

Let’s just say that some of the best lawsuits, threatened or actual, that I’ve ever seen have been borne from various Christmas party theatrics over the years.  I could tell some stories.  Some times I read the fact scenario over and over and over again (often at home with a Canernet and Cuban). Better than anything you’d read in Playboy or Penthouse or other smut rags.

[cigcars]

16 minutes ago, Buck14 said:

Let’s just say that some of the best lawsuits, threatened or actual, that I’ve ever seen have been borne from various Christmas party theatrics over the years.  I could tell some stories.  Some times I read the fact scenario over and over and over again (often at home with a Canernet and Cuban). Better than anything you’d read in Playboy or Penthouse or other smut rags.

     * Oh we've got those outright, really occurred instances of some female employees getting sauced, sitting bare-bottomed on the copier and making copies of their naked derriere - all the way to acts of rare generosity from some stingy folks while under alcoholic influence, etc., etc., etc. Heeeeyyy- you know. But I've never enjoyed politics while on the job anyway. I'm a working girl - no getting involved with "sleep with me for better pay/working conditions," etc. I'm just plain old "work-and-go-home-until..." like most regular debs out here.  I will say I've had my share of unexpected outcomes with the results of our indulging, imbibing, etc. while at work. Since I am a Plain Jane working girl...when we would be at the parties which were held during the day - because nobody liked the place enough to stick around after work...for ANY reason - even to eat, drink and be merry. So after everybody was good and plastered...the rest of my compadres would disappear or go somewhere where they could recover...but me - I went back to work. I didn't have back up folks in my corner to take up any slack for me. I had to do it. Some time afterward, I had it shared with me some comments my co-workers had made in private...and that was, "Hey Janet can do a better job drunk than those other so-so's (in my similar job position) can do sober!"  Apparently, this had the same effect as, "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his TEN thousands!" And where Saul didn't like David anymore.  I kept having "things" happen to me that I could not figure out, or else our High Topper Mountain overlords calling me aside to tell me in private, "Listen, Janet. You're not in any trouble - but just be careful; somebody is telling on you that you were doing this/that, or were somewhere you weren't supposed to be," etc., etc. And again, they emphasized, "You're NOT in any trouble...just be careful. Somebody's watching you and snitching on you!" That kept happening. I had my suspicions about who it might be - and was I WRONG! Finally, some wise elder gentleman I'd gotten in conversation with, and who I shared my situation with told me, "Well you know, say you've got a boyfriend and then you find out he's been cheating on you. And then you catch him doing something he's not supposed to do - like breaking and entering, etc. Who's gonna be the first one to call the cops!? That cheated on girlfriend!" THAT told me EVERYTHING!!!  That little analogy made me aware of exactly who it was brown-nosing on me! From just that little comparance! Wellll - that person's company director did keep asking for me to be in charge of his company in his absence - rather than the pea-brain they were saddled with! Okay, cum se, cum sa! 

    

[Projectal]

Good lord, how boring. I’m fortunate enough to work for a company where it’s OK, even encouraged to act the fool for a night, as long as we don’t break any laws or hotel rules. The worst that happens is your picture gets taken and displayed at the following year’s Christmas party so everyone can laugh at you again. Of course, I work for a relatively small company (<300 people), and everyone knows pretty much everyone else, so all the stupidity is, for the most part, amongst friends. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

[Booyaa]

What a load of rubbish.

[dicko]

How dreary

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk