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How To Make The Most Of Your Office Xmas Party Without Getting The Fear

by Alice Broster
The business group celebrate for job success, Christmas and new year with a champagne glass in the o...
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Between Christmas markets, parties, and get togethers, the festive season can be a pretty hectic time of the year and no social occasion can be harder to navigate than the work Christmas party. This may be the one time of the year that you hang out with your colleagues outside of the office so here are the five five tips for having a great time at your Christmas party according to an expert.

While doing Jaeger bombs with the head of marketing might seem like a funny idea at the time it could land you in a little bit of hot water come New Year. Alcohol can definitely loosen you up and help you find common ground with office colleagues who are normally strictly work relations. However, if you want a completely stress free affair and no beer fear in the morning there are the things to bear in mind. It's not about not enjoying yourself but you might want to reserve the table dancing and scandalous confessions for brunch with your friends.

1

Save Chatting Up Your Crush For Another Time

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Office-based work romances, like that of The Office U.S.'s Pam and Jim, may seem like the thing of dreams, but your work Christmas party might not be the time to explore it for the first time. Speaking to the Evening Standard Claire Gilbert, an employment lawyer said, "relationships don’t end mutually very often. It's often not known by the employer that there was a relationship until the fallout.” What can seem like a fab idea when your eyes meet over the mulled wine can have some serious fall out, so make sure this is definitely the right time to go for it. Or maybe wait for a more private opportunity to chat to your crush.

2

Maybe Go Easy On The Bevs

Drinking is another grey area. You only need to google work Christmas parties to see there are a ton of dos and don'ts when all you really want to do is celebrate the holidays and let your hair down. HR specialist John Crowly from PeopleHR says, “Boozy nights can make for regrettable moments, and awkward environments the next day — do you want this on your conscience?”

If you fancy a big night out with your closest colleagues around the holidays then you may want to make it an out-of-work outing with a few of your closest pals from the office, and probably not your boss. For the main office party, you may not want to go as wild as you would while out with close pals.

3

Don't Forget You're Technically Still At Work

You may be getting a little merry on mulled wine, but the office Christmas party is technically still work. DAS law recommends, “the work Christmas party should be considered to be an extension of the workplace, so the same rules will apply. In a normal working environment, employees would be aware that punching Tom from accounts is a gross misconduct offence. At an office party, however, the professional line is too often blurred, usually fuelled by alcohol.”

4

Discuss Your Outfit Options With Your Fave Colleagues

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Office Christmas parties can seem like the prime opportunity to wear your new red jumper with lights, bells, whistles, and tassels on. They’re literally the time to dress up and have fun. However, the last thing you want throughout the night is a broken heel, a wardrobe malfunction, or to opt for casual clothes when everyone else has gone black-tie. According to Dovetail Recruitment your colleagues may be your best source of advice here. They write, “read the invitation carefully, and talk to your workmates — talk to a few to get the general consensus. Unless the invite specifies black tie or casual dress, assume you’ll need to wear something just as professional as you would wear to work – but with an evening twist."

5

Maybe Hold Off On Insta-ing The Whole Thing

Did you even go on a night out if you didn’t post it all over your instagram? While usually videoing your escapades and putting them online for your followers to enjoy might might be fine it might not be super appropriate at your office christmas party. Acas Senior Adviser, Tom Neil says, “If you love posting on social media about life outside of work, remember that you are still technically in a work environment and not everyone will want to be part of the Snapchat or Instagram story. While it is fine to post, maybe wait until the next day when judgement may be better. For example, posting a video of your manager as they start slurring may not go down so well in the clear light of the following day.”

6

Give Future (Hungover) You A Helping Hand

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When it comes to prepping for your office Christmas party you might want to think ahead to the day after. Nothing screams pulling a sicky quite like calling in the morning after your office Christmas party when everyone saw you have too many drinks the night before. Neil says, “in advance of the party, staff should consider if they will have any work responsibilities the day after. Where possible, it might be an idea to ask to take the following day off as annual leave or see if there may be scope to start a bit later and make up any hours missed. Requests should be made early as leaving it to the last minute or simply calling in sick the next morning can cause serious difficulties for your employer and co-workers.”