The Office Christmas Party: Our 5 Top Tips
The office Christmas Party is something that many people love, and others dread. And let’s face it the forced socialising, the scrutiny of your bosses and peers, too little food and too much alcohol, can often make for an explosive evening – and an even worse morning after. No one wants to be in the reported 2% of people who feel so bad that they resign after their work Christmas Party.
But, with a bit a planning, you can ensure your Christmas Party is an event to remember for all the right reasons! Here are our Top 5 Tips for making your work Christmas Party more successful.
1. Pre-Party Preparation
Going to the party is supposedly “optional”, but really there is no alternative. You have to go. So start thinking ahead now.Plan your travelPlan how you will get to the event, and know how you will get home safely afterwards. Whether that’s knowing the time of your last train home or ensuring you have your mobile set up with the taxi company, do it now. Plan your outfit Get your outfit ready ahead of time so there is no last minute panic. You might like to read our Cheats’ Guide on What to Wear to the Office Christmas Party. This is not the time to run out of options so you have to wear that slightly-too-see-through blouse or the skirt that keeps riding up. This is a work event and you will be on show. Keep your outfit smart, office-appropriate, and chic. Our advice is to err on the side of caution with your outfit and ramp up the accessories if you want to feel and look more “party!”.Plan your nutrition Eat something before you leave the office. Athletes prepare before big events and you should too. In all seriousness, it is entirely possible to blink and miss the food at some events, and circulating on an empty stomach and 3 glasses of fizz is always a bad idea. Grabbing a banana or a pre-party sandwich, which you can eat half an hour before you set off, can make all the difference to both your evening and your recovery. And while we’re talking about fizz, which is notorious for creating bad breath, tuck a few breath mints in your purse too. Plan your hydration I know it sounds a bit technical, but basically keep drinking water. The effects of alcohol and hangovers can be made so much worse by dehydration so keep topping up your water glass, or alternate your drinks with water, so that you won’t suffer as much the next morning.
2. Small Talk
The Christmas Party is a social event, so keep the talk social. This is not the time to corner your boss to discuss what went wrong on that last deal, or to ask for a pay rise. This is not the time to bring together two colleagues to get them both on side for your New Year pitch.
Have a few small icebreaker questions ready, so that you are ready to start a conversation.
Talk to people you know and those that you don’t.
Avoid office gossip, at least for tonight, as tempting as it can seem.
Introduce people to each other when you can.
Circulate the room, and don’t just talk to the same people. Especially as the evening begins, try to move on to another person/group every 15 minutes or so.
If you can do this well, you will be building good foundations for work conversations in the New Year. Just don’t start those conversations at the party.
3. Don’t Get Drunk
Tipsy is fine. Merry, happy, rosy, glowing. These are all fine. But when you cross over that threshold from twinkling good fun to drunken mess, it’s really not OK. Many etiquette experts suggest that you stick with a two drink rule, but I’ve personally never found that to be workable. I do think it is appropriate to have a drink or two before food, which gets the evening off to a fun start and you can appear to be joining in with the spirit of the evening. But then, my advice is to slow down significantly. Start to alternate drinks, or miss a few rounds. And don’t let the waiters top up your glass as you drink – wait until your glass is empty and then, if you wish, ask for more wine, so you can assess how many glasses you are having.You know your own limits but here are some things that should never, ever, happen: “let’s get another bottle, each’, ‘come and join in our round with 10 people’ (that’s a minimum of 10 drinks you will be expected to have), Long Island Iced Teas (lethal), cocktails with flames (tacky and dangerous), shots.It may be a free bar but it will cost you dearly if you mess up your career prospects by misbehaving or embarrassing yourself. Sobering thought though that may be, but better you have it before the party than afterwards, with regret.
4. Leave when it starts to go downhill
You’ve socialised like a pro, impressed the whole room with your charm, have had a drink or two and perhaps a boogie, and now someone is suggesting you all move on to a club, or that you start to do laybacks, or people are starting to sit on the floor or are hugging each other while talking. These are danger signs and you need to go home. We’ve all been there. The party was great fun. It was 11.30pm when you last looked at your watch, and then suddenly it’s 4.30am, you are stuck unable to get home, drunk and looking worse for wear, and thinking that you’ve got to be at your desk by 9am. For some of us, leaving is the hardest part. We don’t want to miss out, we want to be involved in the action, we want to be included in the stories that are told. But remember that the people with the stories also often want a willing audience, and you can be just as much part of the action as you listen in sober, wide-eyed horror at what they tell you the next day.
5. Post-party recovery
You pre-party was planned to a tee, so now it’s time plan your post-party recovery. Before you go to bed drink a large glass of water, along with a painkiller if you suspect you might have a sore head in the morning. You can also have another snack – a banana or some toast – especially if it has been a few hours since you last ate. This combination can really help to reduce any post-party ill effects. So now you can look forward to your work Christmas Party knowing that you are going to ace it this year. Enjoy!
