The vast majority Canadian organizations will host a party for staff. Here are tips on making a good impression and some horror stories from the past.
The economic slowdown hasn’t had a huge impact on the office holiday party. According to Hewitt Associates, 84 per cent of Canadian organizations will be hosting a holiday party for their employees — significantly higher than the relative Scrooges south of the border. Only 64 per cent of American employers plan to host a holiday function for staff this year.
So with most Canadian companies holding festivities, workers are faced with the dilemma of attending or not. Tracey Turner, executive director of staffing services firm The Creative Group, said workers who don’t attend workplace celebrations might be missing out on more than just the fun of the occasion.
“Missing one company activity probably won’t impede an employee’s career prospects,” said Turner. “But being a perpetual no-show can cause a firm to question that person’s enthusiasm and loyalty. Attending the office party can help staff members raise their visibility company-wide and build camaraderie.”
She said staff should look at the holiday party as a business opportunity.
“Be there to network and get better acquainted with colleagues — not to consume cocktails or share gossip,” said Turner.
She offers the following tips for making a good impression:
•Reach out. Make a point to meet at least two people outside of your usual circle. Those from other departments can be valuable contacts.
•Have a story to tell. Come with one or two conversation starters in mind, such as current news events, movies you’ve seen or books you’ve read. Keep discussions light, avoiding sensitive topics such as politics or religion. Excessive “shop talk” should be avoided.
•Wear festive attire, but don’t overdo it. If appropriate, dress up for the event but keep it conservative and don’t wear anything overly flamboyant.
•Eat beforehand. You don’t want to be anchored to the hors d’oeuvre table. Snacking prior to a party will enable you to focus on mingling instead of munching. It’s also wise to limit your alcohol intake to one cocktail or less.
•Know when to say farewell. Make your exit with the bulk of the crowd. Be sure to express your appreciation to those who planned the party.
Office party horror stories
Readers of Fortune magazine were asked to report about their worst company holiday party experiences. Here’s a sampling:
•“I met a charming young woman I’d never seen before and spent at least 20 minutes telling her what was wrong with the way my department is run. She only told me her first name, so I didn’t realize until much later that she was my boss’ daughter. I spent the next few weeks wondering if she had repeated what I said. To this day, I don’t know.”
•“We were assigned to put up and decorate a big Christmas tree in the room where the party was going to be. None of us had much experience at this and we overloaded the tree with cheap strings of lights that turned out to have bad wiring. While the party was in full swing the tree caught fire, and when I whacked at it to put out the flames, it fell over on the buffet table and knocked the food all over the floor. After this, my boss started calling us the ‘Three Stooges’. We’ve all since moved on to other jobs.”
•“At this very formal, fancy Christmas party in the ballroom of a four-star hotel, I walked around for much of the evening trailing a streamer of toilet paper from the heel of my shoe. No one told me, which was typical of the people at that stupid company (I don’t work there anymore.)”
•“My boss had one drink too many and confided in me that my best friend in our department, who I knew thought everything was going fine, was scheduled to be fired after the first of the year. Afterward I lost a night’s sleep wondering whether I should tell or not. I did, so she could get a head start on looking for a new job, but it was pretty terrible.”
•“I drank a fair amount of Scotch on an empty stomach and a colleague and I ended up dancing on a tabletop to ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ by the Fine Young Cannibals. For weeks after that, everyone who had been at the party started humming the tune whenever I walked into a room. It was funny, but I don’t think it did my career any good.”
•“I was just getting over the flu — or so I thought I was over it — when I went to the office party at a company I worked for a few years ago. But while I was standing around talking to some friends I suddenly didn’t feel very well and made a beeline for the restroom. As I was hurrying by, my boss grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘Hey, I want you to meet the CEO.’ I met him all right, and I’m sure he remembers me, because I threw up on his sleeve.”
So with most Canadian companies holding festivities, workers are faced with the dilemma of attending or not. Tracey Turner, executive director of staffing services firm The Creative Group, said workers who don’t attend workplace celebrations might be missing out on more than just the fun of the occasion.
“Missing one company activity probably won’t impede an employee’s career prospects,” said Turner. “But being a perpetual no-show can cause a firm to question that person’s enthusiasm and loyalty. Attending the office party can help staff members raise their visibility company-wide and build camaraderie.”
She said staff should look at the holiday party as a business opportunity.
“Be there to network and get better acquainted with colleagues — not to consume cocktails or share gossip,” said Turner.
She offers the following tips for making a good impression:
•Reach out. Make a point to meet at least two people outside of your usual circle. Those from other departments can be valuable contacts.
•Have a story to tell. Come with one or two conversation starters in mind, such as current news events, movies you’ve seen or books you’ve read. Keep discussions light, avoiding sensitive topics such as politics or religion. Excessive “shop talk” should be avoided.
•Wear festive attire, but don’t overdo it. If appropriate, dress up for the event but keep it conservative and don’t wear anything overly flamboyant.
•Eat beforehand. You don’t want to be anchored to the hors d’oeuvre table. Snacking prior to a party will enable you to focus on mingling instead of munching. It’s also wise to limit your alcohol intake to one cocktail or less.
•Know when to say farewell. Make your exit with the bulk of the crowd. Be sure to express your appreciation to those who planned the party.
Office party horror stories
Readers of Fortune magazine were asked to report about their worst company holiday party experiences. Here’s a sampling:
•“I met a charming young woman I’d never seen before and spent at least 20 minutes telling her what was wrong with the way my department is run. She only told me her first name, so I didn’t realize until much later that she was my boss’ daughter. I spent the next few weeks wondering if she had repeated what I said. To this day, I don’t know.”
•“We were assigned to put up and decorate a big Christmas tree in the room where the party was going to be. None of us had much experience at this and we overloaded the tree with cheap strings of lights that turned out to have bad wiring. While the party was in full swing the tree caught fire, and when I whacked at it to put out the flames, it fell over on the buffet table and knocked the food all over the floor. After this, my boss started calling us the ‘Three Stooges’. We’ve all since moved on to other jobs.”
•“At this very formal, fancy Christmas party in the ballroom of a four-star hotel, I walked around for much of the evening trailing a streamer of toilet paper from the heel of my shoe. No one told me, which was typical of the people at that stupid company (I don’t work there anymore.)”
•“My boss had one drink too many and confided in me that my best friend in our department, who I knew thought everything was going fine, was scheduled to be fired after the first of the year. Afterward I lost a night’s sleep wondering whether I should tell or not. I did, so she could get a head start on looking for a new job, but it was pretty terrible.”
•“I drank a fair amount of Scotch on an empty stomach and a colleague and I ended up dancing on a tabletop to ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ by the Fine Young Cannibals. For weeks after that, everyone who had been at the party started humming the tune whenever I walked into a room. It was funny, but I don’t think it did my career any good.”
•“I was just getting over the flu — or so I thought I was over it — when I went to the office party at a company I worked for a few years ago. But while I was standing around talking to some friends I suddenly didn’t feel very well and made a beeline for the restroom. As I was hurrying by, my boss grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘Hey, I want you to meet the CEO.’ I met him all right, and I’m sure he remembers me, because I threw up on his sleeve.”
