My office holiday party is coming up. Do I need to be on my best behaviour?
Carrie M. emailed us at asktheexpert@sweetspot.ca ; and our Human Resources expert, Sari Friedman, answered:
The best advice I can give is NOT to drink excessively or conduct oneself inappropriately at a company event. Prevention is the best way to avoid embarrassment. How do you know what is considered inappropriate? Try this: If it is not a way that you would act, dress or speak in front of your boss and colleagues IN the office then it is not appropriate for a work related event, even if it is a party. If your outfit is so revealing that you feel more comfortable in it after a few drinks, then you are not dressed appropriately. There is a time and place for sexy clothes and the office holiday party (especially if you work in a formal organization) is not it. Furthermore, if you’re in a tight outfit you won’t want to eat as much while wearing it and we all know what happens when we DON’T eat and DO drink.
In the event that you did drink too much, said the wrong thing or wore something that would even make Paris blush if it landed on Perez Hilton, there are some ways to minimize the damage. First and foremost you cannot hide, so forget about faking sick or going on a sudden vacation. In this circumstance it’s not “out of sight, out of mind,” it’s more like “out of sight, more opportunity for your colleagues to talk about you behind your back.” If you go back to work the next business day dressed professionally and focused on work, there will be less opportunity for people to build on the perhaps tainted opinion of you from the party.
If your ‘infraction’ was that you said something silly or weren’t the best dancer (a la Elaine from Seinfeld) then the best way to preserve your image is to be able to laugh at yourself. Everyone respects someone who can be a good sport.
Sari Friedman is a Human Resources Consultant and Career Coach in Toronto. She can be reached at www.sarifriedman.ca or sarifriedman@rogers.com