Drinking at work holiday party

Work Holiday Party: To drink or not to drink.

It’s that time of year again-cold weather, busy shopping malls, and holiday decorations everywhere. It’s also the time of year for the work holiday party, where at least one co-worker gets too drunk and makes a complete ass of him or herself. It’s amazing how work holiday parties often devolve into complete disasters once people start having too much to drink. And unfortunately, if you are one of those people, you are likely to embarrass yourself in front of people who could make or break your success at the company.

Obviously, staying sober is one way to avoid the post-party, Monday morning, florescent light embarrassment, but a lot of people aren’t prepared to spend a whole evening with co-workers without some sort of social lubricant. That said, it’s important to toe the line between having a few “loosen up” drinks and getting shit show drunk.

Work Holiday Party: Tips

Tip One: Adjust your attitude. If you go to the party believing you’ll have an awful time, not only will you probably have an awful time, but you’ll also probably drink too much trying to get rid of your awful attitude or forget you are there. Yeah, it may be kind of a drag to socialize with co-workers at a work holiday party on a Saturday night, but its free food and drink and you probably don’t have anything better to do anyway. You don’t have to stay forever. Talk to a few coworkers, eat some food, and then make an exit. It won’t be that bad.

Tip Two:  Engage your coworkers. People are usually a lot different when you get them out of a work environment. They’re more relaxed and easier to talk to. You may actually even like one or two of them once you get to know them. Socialize. Ask people about themselves. Pay attention to the answer. If you’re talking and having fun, you’re also a lot less likely to drink yourself into a stupor and do something embarrassing.

Tip Three: Eat. The food at your work holiday party is free right? So why not take advantage? Also, having something in your stomach besides booze will (hopefully) keep you from getting too wasted and hitting on your CEO’s wife by accident.

Tip Four: Avoid talking about politics, religion, and money. This last rule used to go without saying, but it seems people have forgotten the basic rules of social etiquette. These three topics should be considered taboo at a work holiday party. Keep things non-controversial and light. After all, it is a party!

Tip Five: Be Positive! If you are going to complain about the company, your boss, or your coworkers, at least have the sense not to do it at the work holiday party. It may be tempting to relate to others at the party with your shared dislike of your job or the way things are run, you never know who may overhear you. Also, we all tend to talk louder when drinking, whether we realize it or not, so it’s better to just avoid negative topics, especially about the company.

Tip Six: Don’t drink and drive. If you are going to drink at a work holiday party, play it safe and get a cab or a designated driver. You don’t want to be that schmuck who got a DUI on the way home from the work holiday party. Trust me.

Tweet