Make your office party go without a bang
Make your office party go without a bang
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat – and the office party season is upon us; time to eat, drink and be merry – and to be on our guard about what we do and don’t do in front of the boss, colleagues, customers, suppliers, or staff. While we want things to go well it is important for staff morale and employee engagement that there are no un-planned explosions...
This may seem lighthearted advice, but there is a serious message…
When surveyed, nine out of ten managers said behaviour at office parties had an impact on careers. According to a survey by the staffing company Adecco, some 14 per cent of people knew someone who’d lost their jobs as a result of party antics. So to make sure your offices party goes with a swing – and that you still have a job/staff in the morning (delete as applicable) - here are a few top tips from the experts in helping teams to work effectively, Be More Effective:
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Limit your use of the bar – even if it is a free bar, less likely in the current economic climate - paid or free too much alcohol changes your behaviour and impairs your judgment. Stick to the safe side of your limit, and if you don’t know your limit – don’t drink. As Dirty Harry says – ‘A man (or women) must know his limitations…’
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Be positive and complimentary. However bad you find the food, bar, venue or the person who has cornered you – keep your comments positive or change the subject quick….
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Behave as if you were still at work because you actually are. That doesn’t mean be a party-pooper, you can relax, enjoy yourself and let your hair down; just watch out for that fine line between letting your hair down and letting the side down…
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If you’re a manager or team leader, treat your staff fairly – do your best to spread yourself around as evenly as possible. If others perceive you have favoured one person or group over another it could lead to jealousy back in the workplace…
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Have a few non-work topics to talk about – there must be some other things you have in common with some of your colleagues. If you don’t know about any common ground – no is a good time to find out. As a Leader it is important in terms of human relationships, talent retention and employee engagement to take an interest into the lives of your people outside work; ask polite opened questions so they can do all the talking...
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Don’t gossip about your colleagues. Gossip is a boomerang and could end up hitting you from an unexpected direction. Once the fact you do gossip, let alone the content, gets into the internal grapevine - no amount of internal communication will get it back out…
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Don’t sack anyone or resign or threaten to either. It is never a good idea to make important decisions when you are emotional, tired or worse for the wear. You’ll regret it in the morning and it will have a terrible impact on the rest of the team let alone kill the party spirit…
- Don’t call in sick the next day with a hangover! No one will believe you were that bad if you followed the advice above and if you didn’t then you probably have a few bridges to build so the sooner you start building them – the sooner you can over them…
If you’d like any further information about employee engagement, internal communication or business skill training, please get in touch with us at Be More Effective. If you want advice on mixing cocktails you'll have to ask elsewhere...
For more information please send a message via the Contact Us Page. Or you can register for an upcoming webinar.
