3 tips – Surviving Your Christmas Party

It is that time of year again….Ho Ho Ho….Merry Christmas….it is the 01st December and Christmas is here. Your work Christmas party is likely to be coming up over the next few weeks. There will be some people who will look forward to this and for others it induces a fear and panic. So how do you survive it so you remain the professional that you are. I have three straightforward tips to help you.

1.       Pace yourself.

We have all heard of the story about the person in work who went a little over the top at the work Christmas party. Pacing yourself is so important. Remember to eat well before your Christmas party. Try to drink sensibly and part of that means eating well before you head out. So be smart, try not to overdo it at the Christmas party so your judgement remains intact.

2.       Have fun and socialise

Your Christmas party should be fun and is a time to get into the Christmas spirit with your colleagues. Try and chat to as many people as you can. Getting out to socialise with your work colleagues is a good thing, you get a chance to catch up and hopefully talk about some non-work related things. It is also a great way to let your colleagues get to know you better as well as you getting to know them better.

3.       Mind your P’s and Q’s.

The saying ‘do not talk about politics and religion at the dinner table’ is quite fitting here. You work Christmas party is not really the place to have a discussion that can be divisive or causes rifts. Remember to try and respect your colleagues and avoid telling the person who really winds you up what you actually think of them. The work Christmas party is not the place for that.

On a final note, it is key to remember your work Christmas party means you are still at work. That means that all your company’s work policies still apply. So yes that means the disciplinary, grievance and dignity and respect/ bullying and harassment policy to name a few.

For any queries or questions you may have following your work Christmas party get in touch to see how I can support you – myhrguardian@gmail.com – I am looking forward to hearing from you.