The Office Holiday Party: Fun Celebration or Path to Ruination

By James Krouse on December 22, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Video, Work/Life

Put this in the category of office cliche.  The office party where someone has a little too much and every form of career disaster ensues.  The viral video below is more than likely a fake.  Watch closely for the “Need A Job?” ad at the tail end.  But, in any case, it does point out the pitfalls of an office party. Need some more tips? We’ve got some, but let’s get the most obvious piece of advice off the table:  don’t do anything stupid or get drunk.  There, we said it. It’s pretty obvious advice that should be followed, not only at office holiday parties, but at anytime and anywhere.

But beyond that there are some more subtle tips that may help out:

1.) Don’t Loath the Situation

In today’s ironic world, it’s tempting to totally hate the office party as an odious chore you have to get through.  Going in with this attitude isn’t going to make the experience any better.  This is a rare moment to relax and get know your colleagues as people.

2.) Ask Questions

A great private party game is to ask as many questions as you can.  What are you doing for the holidays?  What do you remember most about Christmas growing up?  What was the best New Year’s Eve you ever had?  Believe it or not, people like to talk and giving them a chance to talk about themselves might be the best Christmas present ever.

3.)  Play Some Music and Put Up Some Lights

Easy and cheap.  Enough said.  Don’t expect the conference room to be turned into a Winter Wonderland without a little help.

4.)  Help Clean Up

If you have the party in your office, chances are that it is someone who’s job to set up and clean up.  It’s a really nice gift if everyone chips in.

5.)  Don’t Take It Too Seriously

In the video, it’s obvious that the woman has had too much to drink, but the manager confronting her on video is probably making it worse.  Someone getting tipsy on the job is pretty bad, but at an after hours party…it’s a human foible. Leave it at that and move on.

6.) Celebrate Success and Look Ahead

Business can be pretty negative.  If your numbers are up, they need to increase next year.  If they’re down, they need to be reversed.  If they’ve been reversed, they need to be reversed more.  Use the holiday party to celebrate the good things and look ahead to next year’s goals.  People need to feel that they’ve accomplished something and taking time to celebrate hard work is a great motivator. So celebrate your colleagues, your employees, your employers or even you!

With that…Happy Holidays from The Job Shopper!

Oh, and enjoy the video…