The party was actually pretty good and you know how there is always that person who makes a complete t*t of themselves? In front of the whole office and people talk about it for weeks and weeks?..well, this year, it wasn't me! good times!
This could well be down to the guiding email that my merchandiser sent to me yesterday afternoon, just in time before the festivities began...let's see how I did:
Dos and Don'ts for the Office Christmas Party courtesy of Paul MacKenzie-Cummins for CareerBuilder.co.uk
-Do attend. Your office party is not an optional event. Even if you despise the thought of spending a whole evening with the people you work with every day, it’s a good idea to make an appearance. It shows that you are part of the team.
Well that's easy! I was there, I have photographic evidence, I bought my ticket, I don my wrist band and I was there. So far so good!
-Don’t dress inappropriately. And do dress professionally. The venue will determine the dress code so make sure you know what it is. “Women are advised to stay away from slinky dresses, low-plunging necklines, short-short skirts or tight-fitting trousers”, according to workplace etiquette expert Pamela Holland. And, men “should refrain from unbuttoning more than two buttons on their shirts and wearing overly fitted shirts that show off their muscles”.
It was black tie and that's exactly what I wore. Last year I went for the jeans combo with suit jacket, it was frowned upon. This year I did as I was told. Following the advice I only undid one button and although my shirt was fitted, my muscles were not overly accentuated. (comments to a minimum please - not been to the gym in about 3 weeks!). Tick!
-Do some schmoozing. This is a good time to talk to people you wouldn’t normally come across and, of course, the boss. This could help you in the long term in terms of forging alliances, helping to get things done or just raising your profile. But…Don’t talk shop. Do you want to be seen as the office bore? The office party gives you the chance to get to know people as people not just ‘Julie from accounts’.
Well, I was sat with my direct team and the category director, the big boss! Right Paul, don't say anything stupid, don't say anything stupid...but don't talk shop (literally in our case), don't talk shop" - "Did you know that the body is allergic to brussel sprouts and that's why it repels them?" - good one (!!?!) what was I thinking?! I blame the boyf, Tim told me that little gem the other day - I don't even know if it's true! My Director told me he didnt think it was. I kinda schmoozed - tick!
-Do drink in moderation. Excessive drinking is the number one cause of office party ‘incidents’. Remember, it is a marathon not a sprint and it is likely that you will have a long evening ahead of you. But, by the time you realise this you may have already consumed enough alcohol to sink a battleship and not quite be with it. Stick to your limit, drink slowly or alternate between alcohol and water and, if it’s too late for that, then switch to soft drinks and mince pies. And resist the temptation to indulge in tequila shots or flaming drambuie or you may end up losing more than your inhibitions!
This was going to be my toughest challenge definitely...I knew that from the very start! When I go out, well...I go out! The evening started off controlled (all be it completely chavvy) a bottle of WKD and a bottle of Smirnoff Ice shared between myself and work mate/ date for the evening, Shiana. This turned rather messy however and as the night went on, I'm not going to lie, I got absolutely trollied! it was a free bar!but...want to hear a good tip!? Surround yourself with people drunker than you! easy! Instant vision of sober-ness! tick! How good was I!?
-Don’t make a move on a colleague. After a few hours and a few beers even Barbara from credit control can look like a goddess. A poll by Tickbox.net commissioned by Quatro Wilkjnson Sword revealed that 41% of workers admit to having a sexual liaison with a co-worker at an office party. But, before you make a bee-line for the person you’ve had your eye on all year, do yourself a favour, stay put and think, ‘Is this a good idea?’ ‘Probably not’, is the likely answer.
I was on my best behaviour! I have a boyfriend! Even if I didn't, Shiana wouldnt have let me talk to anyone else anyway - I was her personal photographer for the night! BIG ol' tick!
-Do watch your language. Remember the reason why you are at the Christmas party in the first place is because you have a job. Avoid saying things you wouldn’t say on a normal office day. A former (note use of the word ‘former’) colleague of mine told our CEO that his speech was “crap” and he could do his job blindfolded. Consequently, the Christmas card from the boss contained his P-45. And, for ****’s sake, don’t swear!
I don't think I said anything that I wouldnt normally say in the office and didnt use inappropriate language (well no more than usual)...the music was loud so even if I was yelling something at someone that wouldn't have heard what I was saying - put it this way, no one came up to me today and yelled and or/punched me so I don't think I upset anyone! Sixth tick in a row!
-Don’t leave too soon. Tequila slammers with the girls from HR may be more appealing than your department’s party. But, unless you have made a holy show of yourself, stay for at least a couple of hours even if it is the most boring party ever. After all, it’s your boss that you need to impress when it comes to getting a promotion.
We certainly didnt leave too soon, we turned up (fashionably) late and left when I thought neccesary...managed to get a black cab home pretty quickly and was in bed by half 1...slept on the sofa as I gave Shiana my bed. We slept right through and were back in the office this morning, a mere ten minutes late - 9.10am! Another pass!
-Above all, enjoy the party.
I certainly did...here are some piccies!
This was at the beginning of the night.
Here is Suzy and I. This is my sophisticated look - "I only drink fine wines".
This is where things started to get a little messy.
This picture is thanks to Simon, if Im perfectly honest I don't even remember this picture being taken, I think my blank facial expression speaks a thousand words...who am I? Why am I here? Where did I put my drink?
...and here we are. Shiana and I strutting our stuff on the dance floor, this was sent to us first thing this morning by our PR Manager, Caroline, again can't really say I remember this being taken...glad to see we still managed to pose!
OK, so the pictures do make it look like there were just a few of us, almost as if Shiana and I had our own little party but I promise the whole of head office was actually there and some of the piccies were hillarious, I just didnt think it was the done thing to put pics up without model release forms.
So there we go....I passed the evening with flying colours, I attended, OK...drank probably a little bit more than I should have, smashing a few glasses by accident along the way (who doesnt!?) but overall I was on my best behaviour and stuck to "the rules" - promotion here I come! I'm thinking Chief Exec in the new year!? hmmmm.
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