Don’t be the PARTY Pooper
After all the hard work you put into estab-lishing a name for yourself at work, comes the office party. Those two words can scare the living daylights out a fresher. Working a party is a project by itself. But it is not that scary also. Corporate houses throw parties at many levels. There are team outings, team lunches, office anniver-sary parties... So if you get invited to one, make sure you do just the right things once again because you will never be free of being watched.
Office parties are a great way to mingle with a whole lot of people you don’t interact with on a dai-ly basis. It is also an opportunity to showcase your talents, be it singing or dancing (these are mainstream of any party atmosphere). Another thing about an office party is that you can chit chat with your boss and other heads about things other than work. All you need is a little help prepping and you are ready to hit the floor running.
For starters, lose the stiffness. Go easy on your- self. Find out from office veterans what happens at these parties, who all go, how everyone dresses, do they bring a partner along or not, what kind of events are planned for this year, etc. Also figure where the party is going to be held (this is important because you have to get to the location on time), its timing (don’t end up too early looking like an over-eager cuckoo or too late like an uninterested granny who ambles in when everyone else is about to go home), theme, etc. Gather an understanding of the party culture of your organisation beforehand. Further still, do not get too carried away by the glamour of it all. You still need to have some checks in place.
To go or not to go
Office parties are fun and are the company’s way of appreciating the employees’ contributions to its good market performance by treating their employ-ees to a day or evening of unwinding and fun. That means, an invitation to the party signifies that your presence is considered important - just like at work. Going to a party will cement your reputation as a team player. Staying away from the office party will make you a loner in the eyes of others and choos-ing not to go is not a great idea. Go to the party by all means, stick around for a while and leave early should you want to.
Dressing up
Dress according to the gravity of the party. Is it a day at the beach side or a cocktail night in a five-star hotel? Will there be dancing or surfing? If it is an out-door casual party, bring out your summer best – the linens shirts and blouses, the loose trousers, sailor’s shorts, floral prints, scarves and hats. Just because the invite says casual, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to watch what you are revealing – be it hemlines or necklines. Keep extra clothing in the trunk of your car if the party is by the waters. Go easy on the make-up as well. If the party is a formal one, then you need to pay a little more attention to what you should be wear-ing. You are not hitting the disco, so pay attention to the length of your dress. That said, embellishments and glitter are welcome. So are pleated trousers and blouses, tuxedos, bow-ties and evening jackets. Top up with smudge-free make-up, a manageable yet styl-ish hair-do and good footwear.
Avoid controversial "you can chit chat with your boss and other heads about things other than work. All you need is a little help prepping and you are ready to hit the floor running"
prints, religious slogans, discriminatory messages on clothes, etc. No matter how known at work for be-ing off-beat you are, that would completely be in bad taste. Be sure to dress elegantly especially if you have the company’s clients also invited to the event.
Socialising
Socialising is the purpose of the party. Conscious-ly step out of your safety group at least for a while. Touch base with people from other divisions or de-partments. Introduce yourself and mingle with higher ups like CEOs or VPs as well. Build a rapport, build a relationship. Stay away from discussions on religion, faith and politics. If you notice that the conversation is headed that way, steer it into something else that is interesting. If you are uncomfortable with the conver-sation, excuse yourself and step away. Just because it is a party doesn’t mean you can let go of your guard and speak as you please. It is not the place for unre-strained chatter or confessions, blame games or for giving speeches. The general etiquette stays in place, the respect for colleagues stays in place. Parties also make for bad places for gossip. Parties place you in real danger of being overheard and the same could be held against you when you walk in to work the next day. Be charming and nice. Do not take advan-tage of anyone and do not let anyone do the same to you. Do not outshine people who need their spotlight. Let them celebrate and revel in themselves. Which leads us to the next thing – flirting. Strictly no flirt-ing, no suggestive talking, no A-rated jokes, no foul language.
Bringing a partner
Check and confirm in advance if you are allowed to bring a partner. Office parties are not the place for a first date so ensure that you bring someone you al-ready know and are confident that they can handle themselves very well. Once in, don’t stick around your partner all evening. Introduce them to your col-leagues and once they hit it off, get moving. Mingle with your other colleagues at least for a while. Choose your plus one wisely – you don’t want everyone else seeing him/her hog all the food or drink up all that the bar could put up.
Drinking
Office parties are not drinking contests. Do not get pulled into one either. Drink only as much as you can handle. Understand that the tongue wags more under the influence of alcohol. You certainly don’t want to be remembered as the person who spoke the unspeak-able or blew chunks across the floor. Treat it as a busi-ness event and enjoy a drink or two.
Dancing
Bring out your fun part, show off your moves. Get dancing with a group. It is a great way to spend time at a party. But leave out big time gyrations to their iconic makers themselves. They are not meant for this floor. You don’t want to be caught doing something stupid and become the next viral video online. Ditto for singing. This is one place and crowd you may want to leave the offensive lyrics outside the door for. Also include the rule, no dancing on the table. It is considered as very disrespectful and out-of-line.
Transportation
No heroics there as well. There should strictly be no driving after drinking. No one is going to be im-pressed by your drunk-driving skills. There will be transportation organised by the company. Accept the offer and get dropped home.
Now that you have a fair idea of what you may and may not do, pep up when the invitation lands in your mail box. Party? Say,‘bring it on’.
BUDDING MANAGERS
APRIL 2014 ISSUE
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Posted On: Monday, 12 May, 2014 - 18:39