Work Parties - How to have a great time

Whether it’s a Christmas party or a general work celebration there are a few standard rules you may not be aware of.  Here’s a quick rundown.

Turn up

Even though the thought of spending time after work with your boss may not appeal, turning up is important. It will be a great opportunity to show your commitment and also get to know your colleagues personally. Running off an hour into the Christmas party will be considered disrespectful, so stay for a while.

What to Wear?

It’s always better to overdress if you aren’t sure of the dress code. We suggest asking other work colleagues beforehand and making sure you dress to the occasion.

Mingle, Mingle, Mingle

Parties give an opportunity to speak to people who are not in your normal day to day interactions at work. Make the most of it and mingle with people who are outside your normal crew. A word of advice, don’t bog anyone down for long periods

Have Fun

Parties are for fun, don’t talk about other people in the team or complain about things at work. Enjoy yourself and have a social focus.  Put everything aside and enjoy the hospitality.

Drinking

Know where your limits are, if one glass of wine helps you unwind but two sees you passed out in the bathroom then stick to the one glass! Make sure you eat if you are drinking, pace yourself, drink water between rounds and avoid mixing drinks.

Social Media

Not everyone will want to be on social media, make sure you are careful about what you post and who you tag, keep it professional. If you’re going to upload a picture of someone and tag them, ask them first.

Thanks and Goodnight

Make sure you thank the organiser of the party, they will appreciate you enjoying the hard work they put in.  Organising work parties has a lot of moving parts including scheduling, budgets and individual requests; often one who does all the running around gets forgotten.

“Remember to enjoy and have fun, and celebrate all that this year has been!”