It’s official: invites for Le Bureau’s Christmas party are out and it will be December 7th before you know it. Now’s the time to start planning you’re outfit/booking a babysitter/clearing your schedule for the next day in anticipation of the inevitable hangover.
It’s also worth spending some time considering office Christmas party etiquette. It can be all to easy to get carried away with festive cheer – and whilst you should not let this detract from having fun – here are some basic do’s and don’ts to keep in mind.
Do…talk to someone new
Co working is all about networking, and when better to introduce yourself to a new face than after an eggnog or two at Le Bureau’s festive bash. This is your chance to find out more about your co workers in a relaxed, friendly setting, so offer them your cracker and suggest they pull the other end.
Don’t… talk shop
Inevitably the conversation will centre around work, at least initially – especially with someone you’ve not met before. But it’s supposed to be a party, remember? No one likes the guy/gal who takes up half an hour of valuable dance-floor time with an in depth analysis of their client pipeline. Don’t be that person.
Do…be the first one on the dance floor
Someone has to kick this par-tay off, so why not let it be you? Sure, you’ll have an uncomfortable three minutes bopping solo to Mambo No. 5 but soon everyone else will follow suit, and they will thank you for it.
Don’t… be the last one to arrive
There’s fashionably late and then there’s…well, late. The latter is just plain rude. Of course it’s disconcerting walking into a room of people with whom you have only previously exchanged niceties over the coffee machine, but arriving half way through the meal makes you look like the fool.
Do… bring a plus one
Le Bureau’s Christmas shindig is open to all and we’re a welcoming bunch. If you’re a solo entrepreneur and new to the shared office, bring along a partner or pal with whom you feel at ease.
Don’t… leave with a plus one
How can I put this delicately? What with the booze, and the twinkly lights, the office Christmas party can seem like the perfect time to tell your office crush your innermost feelings. Then before you know it you’re in an Uber back to theirs with your tongue in their mouth and a rapidly cooling kebab on your lap.
Look, we’re all adults here, and what happens between two, consenting adults is their business and theirs alone. But we also all work together here.
Have a laugh, have a flirt, but otherwise put your reputation before your libido and go home by yourself.
Do…dress up
If you can’t don your glad rags for the office Christmas party, when can you? In this case, more is more, so pile on the sequins, glitter and velvet and top it all off with some reindeer antlers.
Don’t… come straight from work
Everyone has seen your grey suit. You have 364 days of the year to wear your grey suit. For the love of goodness, change your clothes.
Do… enjoy yourself!
It’s Christmas! ‘Tis the season to be merry and finally let your hair down after 12 months of hard graft. And the Christmas do in a shared office is a safe space – after all, the majority of your fellow revellers will be co workers, rather than colleagues. If you’ve been glued to your desk since March, now’s the time to show your fun side.
Don’t…enjoy yourself too much
You know what I mean. Don’t get so drunk you have to be carried out. Don’t be caught with suspicious substances in the toilet. Don’t attempt a striptease on the dance floor.
Because some of your fellow revellers WILL be colleagues.
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