You're excited about this year's holiday office party or maybe a little nervous. If this is your first Christmas party with your coworkers, chances are great that you want to make a favorable impression and not do something silly. If you've been to many office parties in your time, you probably are well aware of the things that can happen when ditzy meets clumsy. This year, avoid the snickers that last until St. Patrick's Day by following a few simple office party guidelines:
First, if alcohol is served at your party be careful not to overindulge. Know your limits. While loosening up may be fun and promote more interaction among coworkers, appearing to have imbibed too much is not only very unprofessional and rude but also leaves an impression that stays with your coworkers long after the party. Set a professional but casual reputation for yourself by enjoying the party calmly.
Another great holiday party etiquette tip for your office is to be sure to thank the host. A friendly toast is a wonderful way to get everyone involved. If there were many people involved in setting up the festive party decorations, hiring a caterer, booking an entertainer and more, a toast is an even more appropriate way to graciously thank everyone for participating without making it sound like an acceptance speech. If your boss hosted the whole shebang singlehandedly, raise your glasses of egg nog to him or her for a job well done.
If your office is relatively small, it's also a good idea to make sure that plenty of people stick around to help clean up. It's very polite to make sure that someone has been slotted to clean up the mess. After all, you do not want to return to work on Monday to a messy office or a clean one with sufficiently negative coworkers who gripe about how they got stuck with all of the work. Two very solid ideas for preventing these situations are to hire bar and wait staff to take care of the food and clean up or to organize a party planning committee that selects the clean up crew prior to the event.
For even more fun, make sure that the entertainment is appropriate. Renting a karaoke machine is a great way to loosen up your coworkers. For larger affairs, hiring a disc jockey will keep the tunes bouncing into the night. Even something fun like hiring a comedian could be fun!
So long as everyone sticks to these simple suggestions, your office party is going to run very smoothly! Whether celebrating Channukah, giving thanks during Thanksgiving, or enjoying Kwanzaa, every holiday office party will be a blast when everyone follows this etiquette advice. So go ahead! Relax, unwind, and enjoy the party with your coworkers. Live it up! It's the holidays.
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